


Accidentally Mrs. Dragneel

by bluedragneel



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Accidental Marriage, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Romance, like EXTREME fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluedragneel/pseuds/bluedragneel
Summary: On a job request, Natsu and Lucy are accidentally wed. As they face the repercussions, they begin to question their feelings for each other and ponder if they could become something more. Rated T for language. NaLu. (Originally posted on FF.NET)
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 13
Kudos: 117





	1. Blushing Bride

"Lushi, you should get that one!" Happy said while peering over the ring counter with the rest of Team Natsu, minus Erza.

"Happy, this is a fake wedding, we don't need a 900,000 jewel ring," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes.

"Luce, if we're gonna return the ring anyway, we could get it for fun," Natsu said while inspecting the ring Happy pointed out. "Can we look at that one?" he asked the man standing behind the ring counter.

"That's not how it works, Natsu," Lucy said while rubbing her temples.

"Isn't it though?" Gray asked while looking at the ring with Natsu that was on top of the counter.

"That's so unnecessary, we don't even have to get a real one! What if one of the diamonds fall out? Or what if I lose it?" Lucy said.

"Lucy, we're only doing this to catch the dark guild. It's just for a few hours. Let's have a little fun with it!" Natsu said. "We'll take it," he said while throwing his money on the counter with a smile.

"It's a beautiful ring!" Wendy chirped, Carla peering over her shoulder. It was a princess cut engagement ring, with two ruby red sapphires on each side. They had picked out a simple wedding band beforehand.

"Since when do you carry around almost 1,000,00 jewel?" Lucy said, shocked at the giant wad of cash Natsu had thrown onto the counter, now being counted by the cashier.

"899,900, 900,000," the cashier mumbled under his breath. He looked up from the money and stared Natsu for a moment. "Sir, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is not a ring rental store. I cannot give this to you just for you to bring it back. Perhaps you could try one of the toy stalls in the market," he snapped.

Natsu slammed his hand on the counter and cleared his throat. "Now listen here, Mr..." he trailed off while attempting to read the man's nametag. It read, 'Mark.' "Mr. Marcus," he finally said. "This here is my fiancée," he said as he swiftly wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist and pulled her into his side.

"But you just said-"

"I wasn't finished!" Natsu yelled in the man's face, making him jump.

"She will have the best god-damned ring in Fiore and I think its this one. Don't you think?" He growled, leaning into the man's face. He nodded rapidly. "Good. I hope you understand this time. _We'll take it,_ " he repeated from earlier.

'Mr. Mark' did not oblige and quickly bagged the ring and handed it to Natsu with a shaky hand. He snatched the bag and turned around, making his way to the door, taking Lucy with him. Gray and Wendy followed close behind, but Happy was left rolling on the floor laughing, tears escaping his eyes as Carla reprimanded him for being so loud in the store. Lucy's face was as red as fire from Natsu's outburst.

For some reason, Lucy felt funny when Natsu called her his fiancée. Shaking her head and riding of these thoughts, she peeled his arm off of her. "Natsu! You scared the poor man!" His face was unreadable for a moment before it broke into a smile.

"I know, did you see his face?" he asked before cackling loudly. Lucy smacked the back of his head as they neared the glass doors.

"Lucy! I found the PERFECT dress!" Erza yelled from outside of the store, holding a dress bag.

"It's probably best that Natsu got the fancy ring, Erza probably got the most extra dress in all of Fiore," Gray laughed as Lucy sighed at the realization that Gray was probably right. Leaving Erza in charge of the dress portion of this operation was probably a bad idea.

The job request was to stop a dark guild who would crash weddings and attack the guests, led by a fake priest. The plan was for Natsu and Lucy to have a fake wedding to lure them in, and then take them down from there.

In all of the past cases, the couples were fake wed and then as they walked down the aisle, the dark mages would run in and ambush everyone at the ceremony. The 'priest' would sneak away, no one knew if he had magic or if he didn't choose to show it.

"Why do Natsu and I have to do it?" Lucy whined as they made their way back to the hotel.

"Because you two already are in loooove!" Happy said while circling them overhead.

"If I get my hands on you I'm going to take you back to Stella and feed you to the dogs!" Lucy said while trying to grab Happy's tail, while he flew higher up for his safety. Natsu just laughed.

"Calm down! We aren't supposed to make ourselves stand out!" Erza said through her teeth. Natsu paled and his laughter instantly ceased. She exhaled before turning Lucy's direction. "Don't worry about it too much, Lucy. Remember, it's all fake."

They began to make their way back to their hotel to get ready. At one point, Erza had to stop everyone while she scolded Natsu and Gray for causing a ruckus in the street after Natsu threw Gray into a man's juice cart. Wendy and Lucy stood by, Wendy holding the dress bag. She quietly unzipped it, ignoring Carla's suggestion to keep it inside the bag, and gasped when she saw it.

"Lucy, it's gorgeous!" she gushed as she lightly brushed her hand over the lace fabric. Lucy leaned over to take a peek (not that she cared) but jumped when she heard Erza yell at them as she and the boys came near.

"Isn't it? I tried it on and knew it was the one!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face, ignoring the grumbling Natsu and Gray that she held by their collars. Gray shook her off.

"You tried it on?" he snorted. Erza crossed her arms.

"Yes. I had to make sure it would fit Lucy. We are the same size," she simply replied.

"Lucy is waaaay heavier than you, Erza. I hope you got an extra-large!" Happy snickered. Lucy stomped over to him before grabbing him by his tail.

"Now I warned you, cat!" she growled as she stretched his cheeks as he whined.

Natsu ignored them and ran over to where Wendy held the bag open. "I wanna see!" he said, eager to see the dress. Erza gasped.

"No!" She yelled, grabbing the bag from Wendy and zipping it back up. "The groom cannot see the dress before the wedding!" she cried, clutching the bag close to her chest. Lucy let go of Happy and looked over to Erza.

"It's just pretend! I don't know why you guys are making such a big deal out of it after you just reminded me it was fake!"

"Speaking of the dress, Natsu, did you bring your tux?" Gray questioned, ignoring Lucy.

"Who said I had a tux?" He asked. Gray sighed before grabbing his arm and started taking them in the opposite direction.

"I'm gonna take him to rent a tux. We'll meet you guys back at the hotel later," he called, trying to keep himself upright as Natsu twisted his arm.

"Get offa' me, you pervy popsicle!" they heard Natsu yell as they walked away from them.

"Idiots," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. Erza abruptly took off down the street.

"Hurry up! We have to get Lucy ready!" She called to them, waving her hand in her direction. Wendy and Carla quickly followed and they happily skipped off in the direction of their hotel. Lucy sighed and uneasily followed.

Lucy stared at her reflection in the wall body mirror. True to Erza and Wendy's word, the dress was absolutely beautiful. It fit her snug until the upper thigh, where it flowed freely to the floor. The train was elegantly long, and the veil framed her face perfectly.

Scratch that, she looked beautiful.

She took a deep breath and smoothed her sweaty hands down on the front of her gown. Wendy smiled up at her.

"Lucy, I almost wish this were real. You look so pretty!"

"Thanks, Wendy," she softly replied, giving her a weak smile. Wendy frowned.

"What's wrong? Do you not like it? I could attempt to make some adjustments, but I can't promise it will look good-"

"No no! It's... It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. It's just..." Lucy trailed off. Wendy looked up at her expectantly for an answer. "I know it's fake, but it just reminds me that I'm nowhere near getting married."

She yearned for a relationship. She wanted someone to hold her, care for her, and love her. Every single one of her dates failed. It's not that she couldn't get them, it's just that the men were always-

"Dicks! I can't believe they aren't back by now. They better not be late for the ceremony, the dark mages might skip town!" Erza growled as she looked out the window, awaiting their arrival. She turned and looked at Lucy, and her face cleared instantly. "It looks so pretty on you! I knew I chose the right one."

"Thanks..." Lucy said quietly.

She wanted her soulmate. The man she would spend the rest of her life with. The man who would be her everything.

But who was he?


	2. The Wedding

Lucy was strapping her keys to her garter when the door flung open.

"Sorry, we're late! This idiot took forever to put the damn thing on," Gray said as he quickly rushed past the girls to his suitcase to get dressed.

"Shut up, ice dick. This suit is stuffy as hell!" Natsu whined, tugging on his collar.

"I'll get on you both later. We have to go. Natsu, take off your scarf, it looks ridiculous," Erza spoke, grabbing her purse.

"Hell no! It looks good, you just can't appreciate it like I do-" Natsu started until Lucy caught his attention when she turned towards them.

She looked different than she ever had before. Natsu always knew she was pretty, but never like this.

This was different.

She was wearing a wedding dress. A gorgeous white, lacy gown. It gave him an overwhelming sense of joy. She was dressed as his bride. (His fake bride, but still.)

Her in that dress just looked _right_.

His eyes widened and his mouth was slightly agape as he gazed at her with eyes full of passion. Lucy blushed at his intense stare. She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest in embarrassment.

"Dude, stop eye-raping Lucy," Gray spoke from the other side of the room. Carla covered Wendy's eyes. Natsu's expression turned from serene into a vast scowl.

"Would you shut your damn mouth? I am not," he barked. Lucy let out a breath.

"What? Is it bad?" she spoke timidly and unconsciously brushed the dress down. He turned back to her and his face instantly cleared.

"No! No.. You look..." Natsu began, tugging his scarf over his cheeks to hide his blush. "Very nice," he finished.

Everyone in the room sweatdropped. _What a letdown!_

However, to Lucy, it was still a compliment. She gave him a sweet smile, one reserved only for him. "Thank you, Natsu." The words seemed to roll perfectly off her tongue.

"You two can ogle each other when we get back. We have to go!" Happy called as he flew out the door, Erza following close behind, but not before waving her arm to the rest of the team. Gray, Wendy, and Carla quickly filed out.

"I swear if I wasn't in this damn dress I would chase that cat down the stairs," Lucy mumbled, bending over to lift the bottom of the dress so she could walk properly. She felt Natsu grab her hand and unfold her fingers, and she straightened her back to stare at him questionably. She couldn't meet his eyes, though, since he had bent down and wrapped his arm under her thighs, picking her up, and placing the other around her back to support her.

"Natsu put me down!" Lucy yelled, squirming and eagerly trying to escape his hold.

"Lucy stop! You can't walk all the way there like that!" he said, trying to avoid any of Lucy's thrashing limbs that could hit his face. Luckily she stopped. She was silent for a moment.

"Fine... But only so we can get there faster!" she finally spoke and wrapped her arms around his neck for support. He carried them out of their room, _over the threshold_ , and shut the door back behind them. He looked down at her and gave him one of his infamous smiles. The ones he would give before "accidentally" destroying a town.

"You ready?"

"No."

* * *

After what seemed like the longest walk to the church, (which included many snarky comments from Happy and stares from everyone they passed) they had finally arrived. While Erza checked them in, everyone else waited by the big double doors that led into the chapel. The doors that many couples walked through on the start of a long journey together.

Natsu was doing his best to avoid staring at Lucy. He wasn't sure how he got through carrying her for five blocks. But he also wasn't sure what was so different about how he was feeling. He had carried her many times before and seen her in pretty dresses. So what was the outlier?

Suddenly unsure of what to do with his clammy hands, he put them in his pocket, but his eyes widened when he felt the surface of a velvet box. "Shit!" he cursed before quickly pulling it out of his pocket and turning to Lucy. "Here. I almost forgot," he said, opening the box and taking the ring out before gently slipping it onto her right ring finger. Gray snickered.

"Wrong one, flame brain," Gray began, opening his mouth to deliver another insult on his IQ when Lucy interrupted him.

"He's actually right this time. The wedding band actually goes on the left ring finger first, and then the engagement ring. Most brides just put it on their right hand for the ceremony," she spoke, admiring it on her finger. "It is pretty. You picked a good one," she said before reaching her hand up and quickly ruffling his hair. He smiled and grabbed her wrist and pulled it over her head, attempting to pinch her sides with his other hand. While trying to use her other arm to fend him off, she laughed, allowing all of the built-up wariness and thoughts of what she didn't have bubble out with her giggles. All she was focused on was her best friend, the one person she did have who managed to make her feel so good.

That is until they got too loud and Erza gave them the death stare from the check-in counter. They immediately straightened up.

 _"They like each otherrrrrrrr~"_ a voice sang.

It was finally time for her to walk down the aisle. Her hands were so sweaty, it seemed like the bouquet would slip out of her hands. Lucy shook her head.

 _"There's no reason to be nervous. It's only a job. Your dress must be too tight,"_ she thought.

When she finally made it to the altar, the only thing she saw was Natsu's eyes staring at her, similar to back at the hotel. She noticed his fingers fidgeting with the top of his pants.

As the priest began his wedding spiel, Lucy scanned him. He was kind of old. His beard was white as snow and had grown down to his mid-neck. His face was full of age lines, mostly around his mouth. He seemed like a sweet old man. But definitely not to be underestimated. His whole being held a mystery essence. No one knew anything about him. Lucy moved her eyes to look at Natsu.

He looked so bored, she almost laughed. He was staring at a painting behind her of a bird. When he noticed she was staring at him, he lazily met her eyes. He quickly peeked to see if Erza and Gray were looking from the pews and looked back at her before squinting his eyes and puckering his lips, contorting his face into a scrunched up mess. He quickly returned it to his resting face and gave her a cocky smirk. "Beat that," it said.

She widened her eyes in reply, ones that told him, _"absolutely not."_

His grin never faltered, taunting her. Lucy took a deep breath and exhaled.

In a split second, she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue before quickly returning it back to normal. His smile got wider, showing off his pearly fangs. He began to bare his teeth when a voice cut into their silent competition.

"Your vows, Sir?" the reverend spoke.

 _"Oh my God! We never went over what to do during the actual ceremony!"_ Lucy thought, her breath hitching.

"Oh yeah! Okay..." Natsu started, his mind searching for something, anything to say. Gray placed the palm of his hand on the side of his forehead, not looking forward to whatever was about to come out of Natsu's mouth. Erza, Wendy, and Carla stared at him expectantly, hoping whatever he said made some sort of sense. He cleared his throat. "I vow to always be a good husband. I vow to always break into your house, eat your food, and sleep in your bed. You can't kick me out, though! I'll be your husband and so you have to let me. Uh..." Natsu trailed off, trying to think of anything else. "Oh yeah! I'll always protect you on jobs, and I promise to always be by your side- wait no! I _VOW_!" Natsu smirked, obviously proud of himself. Lucy stared at him in disbelief, even though she wasn't really surprised. In his seat, Happy smiled and quietly clapped for him. Everyone else shrugged. Good enough for them. The priest unfurrowed his eyebrows.

"Okay...Very nice," he said hesitantly before turning to Lucy. "And yours?" Lucy nodded and turned to look at Natsu. She took a deep breath.

"Natsu. That day we met in Hargeon, I thought you were crazy. I actually still think you're crazy. But you changed my life in the best way possible. You brought me to Fairy Tail and taught me so many things about being apart of a family that's not related by blood. Even though you get on my nerves sometimes, you're still my absolute best friend, and I wouldn't trade you for all of the celestial keys in Earthland. I vow to always fight by your side and to stay with you forever. I promise to always be there for you," she finished, having never left his eyes. She gave him a small smile. The grin on his face was so wide his cheeks hurt. The priest gave a gentle smile.

"Lovely. Now for the rings," he said, waiting for Happy to bring the rings on a small pillow. Natsu grabbed hers, and Lucy vice-versa. "Natsu, slide this ring onto Lucy's left hand and repeat after me. "With this ring," he began.

Natsu gently slipped it onto her ring finger. "With this ring," he repeated slowly, making sure he didn't mess it up.

"I thee wed."

"I thee wed," Natsu finished, looking back up at Lucy. He didn't let go of her hand. The priest smiled.

"Now, Lucy. Slide this ring onto Natsu's left hand and repeat after me. "With this ring."

Lucy shakily placed it onto his ring finger. "With this ring," she repeated.

"I thee wed."

"I thee wed," Lucy finished, looking up, and tightening her grip on his hand. Lucy was always fascinated with his hands. The hands that he used to destroy, to fight with and to harm evil wizards and bandits. They were covered in callouses. They were dry and ugly. But yet, whenever he held her hand, the only thing she felt was tenderness. His hands were gentle with her. These hands had damaged so much, but whenever they held hers, they reflected nothing but care.

"Natsu, repeat after me," the priest spoke. "I, Natsu."

"I, Natsu."

"Take thee, Lucy."

"Take thee, Lucy."

"As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death parts us."

"As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness, and in health, until death parts us," Natsu spoke slowly, concentrating on remembering the words.

The priest did the same with Lucy, and while repeating, her hands began to shake, knowing what happened next. The priest smiled.

"By the power vested in me, by the town of Oshibana, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," he finished, smiling expectantly at Natsu. He had no idea what to do. He tried to read Lucy's eyes, trying to find any indication of what she wanted. Obviously, he was supposed to kiss her, but he also didn't want to get slapped. First, he gently lifted the veil from over her face, light pink spreading across her cheeks from his close proximity. He then slowly leaned forward, not leaving her eyes.

Lucy quickly took control and swerved her head around, lightly pecking him on the cheek, chickening out of what could've been her first real kiss. When she leaned back, she could spot Natsu's cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Maybe she was just imagining it. He reluctantly let go of her hand and offered his arm out to her. She took it and tightly held her arm around his, thankful that it was almost over. Natsu's cheek still tingled from the light touch of her lips from a few moments before. As they slowly walked back down the aisle, they were both highly alert, awaiting for thieves to appear.

They were in the middle of the aisle, anxiously awaiting for someone to jump out at them.

Nearing the doors now.

Almost at the door.

Natsu was now twisting the door handle, Lucy tightening her grip on his arm.

They exited.

Nothing.

"What the hell?" Natsu said, angrily taking off his tie. "Where are they?" he said before throwing it to the ground. He took a deep breath like the tie had been strangling him throughout the entire ceremony.

"I don't know, I don't know! What are we supposed to do?" Lucy said quietly, pacing around the chapel entryway. The rest of Team Natsu finally came out of the doors.

"What happened?" Gray exclaimed, seeming to have already ditched his tux.

"You think I know, frosty?" Natsu growled, stepping towards him to pick a fight. Erza grabbed him before he could.

"Behave! Let's go through this. We're at the right church, right?" Everyone nodded.

"Did we get the right priest?" Wendy piped up. Erza exhaled.

"Yes, of course. Reverend Pearce," Erza said, returning to her train of thought. Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't his name Reverend _Pearson_?" Lucy rebutted. Erza's face became as pale as a ghost.

"I think I may have made a minor mistake..." she said, embarrassed.

 _"You got the wrong guy?!"_ they all yelled in unison.

"No worries! We can probably find them somewhere in this town..." Erza encouraged. They all opened their mouth to retort when loud cackling filled their ears. They all turned their heads, following the sound. Standing by a large vase in a corner, stood a large burly man, hunched over in laughter. He quickly stood, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I'm Reverend Pearson. Well, I'm just Pearson. You all know I'm a fake priest. I heard the mayor hired a group from Fairy Tail to get rid of me and the rest of Poison Fang, and I was so curious. I thought I would have to step up my game, but you couldn't even get the right guy!" he finished, falling into a fit of laughter again. Team Natsu stared at him in shock, until Natsu sprung into action. He ran towards him, preparing to strike.

"Fire Dragon's Iron-" he began before he was harshly pushed down into the ground by an invisible force. Pearson stared at him, eyes glowing a bright orange.

 _"Kneel,"_ he spoke quietly. Natsu cried out in pain.

"Agh!" he choked.

"Natsu!" Happy called, flying over trying in an attempt to rescue him, before he too was pulled down onto the floor. The rest of Team Natsu sprung into action.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack," Wendy attacked, Pearson easily dodging it.

"This guy is quick," Erza said, quickly changing into her Clear Heart armor. Gray began calling out attacks next to her, all unsuccessful. Lucy, however, stood still, deep in thought, until two arms came around her neck in a chokehold. She stepped on their foot and jabbed her elbow into their abdomen. They immediately collapsed. She twirled to look at her offender but was taken aback when the sweet old receptionist stared back at her, eyes glowing a bright orange.

"Just like Zash from Stella!" she exclaimed. She quickly reached under her dress to retrieve Capricorn's Key. "Star Dress, Capricorn!" she called, quickly removing her shades. "Gray!" she called before tossing them over to him. "Put these on! Now you can hit him!" He caught them with ease and placed them over his eyes. He charged straight towards Pearson.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" he yelled, the ice lances charging straight towards Pearson. His eyes widened when an invisible wall was created in front of him, the lances crashing into it, shattering instantly. "What the hell?" he yelled in frustration. "Lucy, these are useless! If he could control wizards, he would've done it by now! Covering our eyes does nothing!" Pearson chuckled.

"You all are like children, making the same mistakes over and over again!" Suddenly, Reverend Pearce came charging through the doors and running straight towards Gray, tackling him before they began to wrestle on the floor.

"Agh, Lucy!" Natsu yelled. "His eyes!"

"Already figured that out, Natsu! He can still use whatever invisible force he has!" Lucy shouted, trying to get the receptionist off of her.

Erza jumped at Pearson from behind, jumping onto his shoulders and placing her arms around his head, covering his eyes. Suddenly, Natsu and Happy were released by the invisible force. Lucy gasped.

Then, it clicked.

"That's it! Natsu! Hurry, knock him out!" Lucy called. "He's useless without his eyes!" Gray and Lucy were released by both Reverend Pearce and the receptionist. Pearson clawed at Erza with his arms, trying to get him off of her. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and Natsu landed a quick kick to his temple, sending him to the floor.

"K.O!" Happy cheered. Erza jumped off of him.

"Nice job, team!" she praised, staring at Pearson from above. "That was way easier than I thought it would be. I wonder how no one caught him before?" Lucy massaged her previously pinned arms as she walked towards them.

"He always ran away, remember? Without the brain, the body dies. Everyone just always assumed he was only their leader, when in reality it was just a bunch of innocents being controlled. I guess Poison Fang doesn't exist. All of those "bandits" must have been random people from the street." Lucy pieced together, fiddling with the new ring around her finger. Reverend Pearce sat up from the floor a few feet away, and scratched his head.

"Wow, my head feels fuzzy," he spoke deeply. He looked up to Natsu and Lucy who were currently doing a celebratory handshake. "Ah, what a beautiful couple." Reverend Pearce slowly got to his feet and walked over to the pair. Natsu and Lucy turned to look at him.

"Are you okay, sir?" Lucy asked, scanning him for any bruises.

"Oho, I'm fine my dear. I can't express my gratitude. Both me and Lydia are very thankful for you and your team's work."

"Of course, sir!" Wendy chirped, coming up behind him and shaking his hand.

"You're welcome, old man," Natsu said before receiving a smack on the back of the head from Lucy. Reverend Pearce chuckled.

"You better keep him in line, Mrs. Dragneel! Good luck, son, in a few months, you're gonna be miserable! But in all honesty, you two have the best chemistry I've seen in years. I hope you have a wonderful life together!" He gave them a sincere smile before exiting the chapel.

 _"Did he just call me..."_ Lucy thought.

"Mrs. Dragneel?!" Lucy cried out, placing both of her hands on the side of her head. Happy collapsed onto the floor, laughing his head off.

"Erza got an actual priest! You two actually got married! Hahahaha!" he laughed as he cried tears of laughter. Lucy was frozen.

Gray snickered. "What a happy couple! The Dragneels! Hahahaha!" Gray was bent over in laughter.

"Mrs. Dragneel" echoed through Lucy's mind, her thoughts running wild as she stood frozen, looking almost petrified. It became too much for her brain to process.

Suddenly, the world became very dark from behind her eyes.

She was out before she hit the floor.


	3. Newlyweds

When Lucy reopened her eyes, she was in her bed, enveloped by her pink fluffy comforter and the gentle warmth of the sun shining through her open apartment window. She turned her head towards her kitchen, confused to hear sounds of clattering pans and something sizzling on the stove.

Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, she unwillingly parted from the warm, comfortable sheets to investigate what was going on in her kitchen. There, she found a shirtless Natsu pushing something around in a pan. At the sound of her entrance, he turned his head around and grinned once he caught a glimpse of her. He put down the spatula and came to greet her by wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a quick peck on her cheek. "Morning, honey." He purred. "I thought I would make us breakfast to celebrate our first full night of sleep."

The flush on Lucy's face spread down her neck and to her chest. What on earth happened to Natsu? And what was he talking about? She opened her mouth, trying to find words to say, but was left utterly speechless. When she tried to give some form of a response, a finger was placed onto her lips, shushing her. "Shh... Don't say anything, just go sit down at the table. I made you your coffee. Don't worry, its decaf," he said before returning to his work at the stove. Her mind and body were in two different places. Her feet took her to the table where as promised, a cup of coffee greeted her. Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute.

 _"What is going on?_ " she thought. Her apartment seemed different. The normally empty, but comfortable atmosphere was replaced with an intimate, homey feeling. She saw unfamiliar picture frames on the wall, including pictures of her and Natsu, but they seemed older. Older, and more touchy-feely. It brought a foreign feeling of joy to her heart. Grabbing the cup of coffee to take an uneasy sip, something sparkly on her left hand caught her eye. There, the engagement ring and wedding band sat comfortably, glimmering in the morning light coming through the window.

_"Why am I still wearing it?"_

She leaned to the side a bit to see if Natsu was wearing his. Sure enough, he was.

Finally regaining a bit of her sanity, she shook her head and looked up to the man who had made himself comfortable in her home. "What the hell is going on?" she questioned, raising her voice. Natsu turned around, eyes wide.

"Shh! Don't talk so loud! You might wake-" he was cut off by a loud wail from another room. He sighed. "Don't worry, I'll get her. Can you watch the bacon, make sure it doesn't burn?" he stated before leaving the kitchen.

_"Wait a minute... was that a-"_

"Shh..." she heard Natsu console as he reappeared with a bundle in his arms. "I think someone wants her Mama," he said, carefully handing the baby to her with a smile. She curiously peered down at the small child but frowned when she saw its face covered by the blanket. She brought a hand to uncover it but gasped when she saw a blue, furry, cat child staring back up at her. Her face twisted into one filled with pure horror, all of the happy, domestic feelings instantly leaving her body.

"Aye sir!" it sang.

Sitting up in bed, Lucy screamed, her hair stuck to her face with sweat. She frantically lifted her left arm, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that her ring finger was not wrapped with silver bands. It had been three weeks since the wedding. When Lucy had woken up after fainting at the chapel, she immediately went down to the courthouse with Natsu to try and fix it.

_"We'd like an annulment, please," Lucy stated to the judge. She looked up from the papers they had filled out and observed Lucy's attire. There she stood, still clad in the wedding dress._

_"Ma'am, are you sober?" she questioned._

_"Yes! I am sober. My partner and I are mages, and we had to fake a wedding to lure out an evil wizard. Long story short, it was a real one. Now, can we please get this annulled so I can go home a Hearfillia!" she cried, stomping her foot to emphasize how distressed she was. She looked over to Natsu, to see how he was taking this whole ordeal, to find he was no longer standing next to her. He stood by a fish tank near the back of the room. His hands were on the glass, peering in excitedly as if he were a child visiting the aquarium._

_"Hey lady, where'd you get this cool fish?" he exclaimed._

_Ignoring Lucy, the judge looked over her and at Natsu. "Don't touch it! That is my prized Coelacanth. My son sent it to me all the way from Minstrel!" she bellowed, making Natsu slowly move away from the tank. Lucy shifted her weight._

_"Judge... Paxella," Lucy began, taking a second to read the name off of the brass nametag that sat atop her desk. We have a train to catch back to Fiore, and I really need to get this done before we leave. Can you please help us out?" Lucy ranted, eager to get this whole incident behind her._

_The woman clicked her pen a few times before sighing. "Based on the information I have here I can tell that this was truly a mistake, and will not be complicated to undo. Lucy, if I could have you sign here, and Natsu sign here," she began, holding out a piece of paper before she was interrupted by a large splash of water. By the window, Natsu held up the Coelacanth with a toothy smile on his face._

_"Happy, look! How good do you think this tastes?" he yelled to the cat who was waiting outside, trying to keep the wobbling fish in place in his arms. Judge Paxella gasped before dialing for her secretary on her phone. Lucy shrieked before running over to Natsu, tripping on her dress a few times, to coax him into putting the fish back into the tank._

_"Relax, Lucy, I was gonna put it back! Judge Maxi-Pad will give us our annulment, don't worry," he reassured her. "She has to give us one, we have rights for that, right?" he asked her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion._

_"Natsu, just put it back in the tank!" she growled through her teeth._

_He rolled his eyes in amusement. "Fine," he replied, carefully putting the large fish back into its tank. When he turned back to go complete the annulment with Lucy, he was stopped by two security guards. They grabbed him by his arms and began to pull him out of the courtroom. "Hey, lemme go! I command you by my rights!" he growled, struggling to escape security's clutches. Lucy ran back to the Judge's tall desk and placed her elbows on top to pull herself up to face Judge Paxella._

_"Judge, please, I don't want to file for divorce! I don't want to have that on my record! I need to fix this today!" she begged. Judge Paxella called for another guard._

_"Sorry Mrs. Dragneel, I'll send the divorce papers to the address listed on the annulment forms. Leave my chambers at once. Would you like to be escorted or carried out?" she declared, writing down Lucy's address before shredding the annulment papers._

_"Noooo!" Lucy cried as she watched her ticket to an easy way out of their mess be destroyed. A security guard came up behind her and dragged her out of the courtroom._   
_She cried the entire train ride home, while Natsu didn't even seem to care. To be fair, he was doubled over in motion sickness, so she couldn't accurately read his emotions._

Lucy snapped out of her flashback, jumping when she heard a groan come from the other side of the bed.

"Urgh... Lucy... Do you hafta' be so loud in the mornings?" he spoke, his voice raspy from sleep, burying his head deeper into the pillows. Lucy grabbed her pillow and smacked his head with it.

"Get out, you intruder! This is my house! Last time I checked, yours in the woods was perfectly fine!" Natsu turned his head to the side, facing her.

"Yeah, but you aren't there" he whined, looking up at her with puppy eyes. Lucy's expression softened for a moment.

 _"Aww... That was kinda cute.."_ she thought.

"And neither is your fluffy bed, hehe..." he finished, before receiving a kick into his side, sending him out of the warm sheets and onto the hardwood floor.

_"Nevermind..."_

"Out! I want to make myself a nice breakfast and have a relaxing morning and you're ruining it!" Lucy commanded, opening her window, knowing that would be his point of exit.

"Natsu! Lushi got us some new fishies!" a chipper voice called from her kitchen. His pained expression immediately was replaced with a grin as he jumped up and ran to the kitchen.

"Lemme grill em'!"

"Noooo! My kitchen!" Lucy screamed, rushing in there to prevent them from burning down her apartment.  
-

After giving up on the idea that they would leave, Lucy prepared Natsu's fish, (leaving Happy's raw, just the way he liked it), and some pancakes, while she set Natsu to work with washing some strawberries to go with them. If they were going to eat breakfast here, they might as well help out. "How they lookin' Natsu?" Lucy questioned, putting the last of the pancakes onto a platter. She turned to him and slapped his arm when she saw him eating some of them. "Those are for us to _share_!" she reprimanded. He swallowed.

"Sorry, Luce. They just looked too good. And I'm practically starvin'! Are you done yet?" he complained.

"Just finished the last pancake. Now dry those off and we can eat."

"Awesome! I can do that in five seconds!" Natsu cheered, taking all of the strawberries into his hands and lighting them on fire.

"Natsu no! Don't dry them off with your flames, they'll melt!" He continued using his drying method, ignoring Lucy.

"I'm not going to burn them, weirdo! I know what I'm doing. Besides, they taste better a little mushy anyway. Trust me, you're gonna love it," he promised, sending her a grin when he extinguished his flames. "Ready!"

As they ate breakfast, Lucy couldn't help but stare at him. Her dream had made her feel things she had never felt before.

Good things.

When she looked at him, she also saw the husband Natsu from her dream. The feeling of being in his arms, (which she already enjoyed anyway) of being in a home, of being a mother, gave her butterflies.

"-cy. Luce!" he yelled, waving a hand in front of her face. She shook her head, snapping out of her spell. "Finally! Try one of the strawberries," he said while picking up the whipped cream dispenser. Lucy grabbed one out of the bowl and put it in her mouth. It was warm and mushy. It was also very sweet and juicy. She began to swallow when Natsu stopped her.

"Open!" he said, holding the whipped cream over her head.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, a look that told him, _"Really?"_

"Just try it, weirdo." She uneasily opened her mouth and allowed him to spray a dollop on top of the chewed strawberries. She savored the taste and swallowed, her eyes widening.

"That's actually really good!" she exclaimed, her face breaking out into a smile of delight. "Don't ever doubt Natsu!" Happy cheered while munching on his raw salmon.

"Hold on, I didn't give you enough whipped cream," Natsu said, a mischievous grin making its way onto his lips as he pointed it towards her, putting his hand on the nozzle threateningly. Lucy slowly stood and backed up from the table.

"Natsu, we can sit here and have a nice breakfast. We can eat more of your special strawberries! Just put down the whipped-" Lucy was cut off by a knock at her door. "Maybe that's the mail!" she said eagerly while running to the door. Lucy had been waiting for divorce papers for a few weeks. She opened it swiftly, but her hopes were crushed when it was just her landlady holding a gift basket. "Oh, hi landlady... What's the problem? I'm assuming that's why you're here."

The small plump woman scoffed. "Miss Hearfilia, Oops. I mean Mrs. Dragneel, I don't always visit when there is a problem! I can do nice things too. I came to drop off this wedding gift. I read about it in Sorcerer Weekly. It's shameful that I didn't hear it from you," she spat, shoving the basket into her arms.

"Oh no, that's just a misunderstanding, we're not _actually_ married- wait, Sorcerer Weekly?!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to give back the present.

"Yes, the monthly edition came out yesterday. What do you mean you're, 'not actually married?'"

"Well, _technically_ we are but-" Lucy was interrupted by a pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist. One momentarily left her side to grab the gift basket from Lucy's hands and placed it onto the ground. Natsu placed his head onto her shoulder, smiling at the short woman before them.

"Thank you for the gift basket, my wife and I greatly appreciate it. Don't you, honey?" Natsu said, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. Lucy's cheeks turned a dark scarlet. Her landlady smiled.

"Thank you for being so appreciative, young man. Lucy, I expect your rent to be on time now that you have a man to help pay the bills. Good day," she finished before leaving her door, her heel clad feet clicking with every step. How a woman as plump as she could wear them, Lucy would never know. Natsu lightly tugged on Lucy's frame, walking back into her apartment.

"Happy! Cmere', Lucy's landlady brought us muffins!" he shouted back to the exceed that was still in the kitchen, releasing Lucy and squatting down on the ground to unwrap the basket. Lucy turned around, finally snapping out of her stupor from his touches.

"You idiot!" she growled, her face fading to light pink. Natsu looked up at her in confusion.

"What's the big issue? I touch you all the time and you don't get mad, what's so different about that?" Happy snickered.

"Lucy, have you and Natsu been rolling around in the sheets?" he joked, walking into the room.

"Shut up you pervy little cat! Natsu, you made it seem like we're married!"

"Aren't we though?"

Lucy gripped her hair in frustration. "I'm gonna go take a bath."

As she soaked in the tub, she let the new information sink in.

 _"It was published in Sorcerer Weekly!?"_ her thoughts screamed at her. She sank deeper into the tub.

Now she was going to be stopped everywhere she went. Everyone was going to give her and Natsu their "best wishes!" for their marriage. After defeating Alvarez, their guild had become even more famous than they had been following the Grand Magic Games. They would be the shiny new married couple from Fairy Tail. Gajeel and Levy weren't even married yet! And they have twins!

_"I'm not gonna be able to go to the market, the bookstore, Heart Kreuz-"_

Lucy abruptly sat up in the tub, water sloshing over the sides.

"The guild!" she shouted.

Before they got off the train at Magnolia station, Lucy made all of Team Natsu promise not to tell anyone of her and Natsu's situation. The guild had _no_ idea. They were going to torture them! Mirajane wasn't going to ever leave them alone!

'Oh God..." she moaned, placing her hands over her face. She heard a small knock come from the other side of the door. "No, Natsu, you didn't leave your beef jerky in the shower!" she replied.

"It's not that!" She heard, his voice muffled a bit from the barrier between them. "Hold on, I'm coming in." He opened the door, his pupils widening at the sight before him. Lucy threw her shampoo bottle at him. He easily dodged it.

"Get out!"

"Chill out, it's nothing I haven't seen before!" This time, Lucy didn't miss with her conditioner. "Ouch! Jeez Lucy, that hurt! Whatever, I'll turn around. I just have to ask you something," Natsu replied, giving into her wishes and facing away from her naked body in the bathtub.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah?"

"I know we aren't really married, I just want to know. Did you lie?"

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Did you lie?"

"On what?

"The vows!"

"Of course I did! The whole thing was a setup, remember?"

"That's not what I mean!"

"Then what do you mean? Hurry up and spit it out, my bath water is getting cold!" Lucy said. Natsu turned around and stuck his hand in the water. "Turn back around you pervert!" she screeched. Her cries of protest ceased when she felt the water's temperature increase to a comfortable warmth. She sighed in bliss before looking back up to Natsu, who had crouched down beside the tub and was only able to see her face.

"I mean what you said, not the whole thing entirely." He was quiet for a moment. "I didn't lie. I'm always going to protect you, and I'll always be by your side." he spoke quietly, staring into her large brown eyes.

"Yeah, and you're never gonna stop breaking into my apartment," she giggled. He laughed with her.

"You got that right," he replied, smiling at her. "Do you get what I'm askin' now, Luce?" he replied with her special nickname. She smiled.

"Natsu, celestial mages never break their promises."


	4. Fairy Tail's Celebration

"I don't wanna go!" Lucy cried, dragging her feet on the ground as Natsu pulled her closer to the guild's doors. Happy had flown ahead of them, claiming that Lucy was taking too long to get ready. (She had actually locked herself in the bathroom so she wouldn't have to go, but that's beside the point.)

"Lucy, you can't avoid them forever! I doubt it will even be that bad," Natsu reassured her, letting go of her wrist he had previously been pulling on. Lucy gawked at him.

"Have you met them?!" Natsu sighed.

"Okay, it's not gonna be good. But whatever is in there, we will face it together. Okay?" Natsu encouraged, holding his hand out for hers to take. She exhaled before taking it, giving him a bashful smile.

She always loved holding his hand. It started to happen more often after the war with the Alvarez Empire. And it wasn't just holding her hand, he had become touchy-feely in _all_ areas. (Not that she minded.) His arm was either wrapped around her shoulder or her waist, which he did before, but not as frequent as it was now. Him holding her hand, however, was new. Before, he would grab onto her wrist and pull her along with some crazy antics. But now, he would tenderly intertwine his fingers with hers. This he did randomly. They could be sitting at a table chatting with their friends and he would lace his fingers with hers under the table, or be walking to the guild from her apartment and their hands would brush up against one another before he would grab one and swing it in between them happily. He and Happy's presence at her apartment spiked, probably because she didn't make them leave as much anymore.

Walking into the guild hand-in-hand, the guild that had just found out that they had gotten married, probably wasn't the best idea.

When Natsu had pushed open the large doors, hell broke loose.

Champagne bottles popped, corks flying everywhere. Rice was thrown on them, confetti cannons blasted. Lucy couldn't make out anything anyone was saying, it was pure cacophony.

"Natsu finally manned up!"

_"MANLY!"_

"What's that supposed ta' mean? I've always been manly! I beat up Gray every week to prove it!"

"Lu-chan, when's your due date?!" Levy shouted excitedly from the bar, one of the twins swaddled in her arms. "Our kids are going to be the best of friends!" Lucy's face turned beet red, steam pouring out of her ears.

"There is no due date!" she replied frustratedly. Mira strutted over to the pair, a new spring in her step, and placed a veil over Lucy's head. "Mira, what is this?" Lucy whined, flipping the sheer toile over her face and back onto her hair.

"We never got to have a bachelorette party! So consider this your post-wedding shower! But no alcohol for you, Lucy!" Mira chirped, leading them over to the bar.

"I am not pregnant!" Lucy seethed. As they passed the multitude of members celebrating their marriage, Natsu was given many handshakes, and someone handed him a cigar.

"What the hell is this? I ain't a smoker like popsicle!" he retaliated to the passing crowd. When they arrived at the bar, Lucy quickly sat down on one of the stools, and buried her head in her arms, trying to tone out the guild's hooting and hollering. She felt a gentle hand on her back.

"Lu-chan, if you're not pregnant, then why did you and Natsu get married? We could've planned a beautiful ceremony here!" Levy questioned, keeping her arm holding her baby sturdy. Lucy picked her head up.

"The article wasn't true. Well, it kind of was. Natsu and I actually _did_ get married." Lucy began, getting cut off by Mira's screech of happiness.

"You looked real pretty, Lucy!" Cana drunkenly called from the other end of the bar. "Mira, when you gonna start dealing out the money from the betting pool? I'm ready for my money!" Cana demanded, slamming her now empty mug of beer onto the counter.

"I forgot about that bet!" Mira said, pulling out a binder from under the counter. In the binder's cover was a picture of Natsu and Lucy at the altar.

"Where did you get that?" Lucy screeched.

"It was in the article! You did look gorgeous Lucy. I have no idea why you gave your dress to Erza, I would've kept that forever! Ooh! Show us your ring! I've been DYING to see it." Mira pleaded, clutching her hands together in front of her chest for emphasis.

"I don't have it anymore, Natsu went and returned it before we left. Wait, how did they get a picture of me in my dress? the only people in there besides Natsu and I were Wendy, Gray, Happy-" Lucy listed quietly before coming to a realization. "I'm gonna kill that little cat!" Lucy growled, pulling at her hair.

"I wanna see that article! Mira, you got one on you?" Natsu said, taking Lucy's hands out of her hair, running his fingers through it to get rid of the tangles and brushing back the mess she had made with it, as well as removing the veil and setting it on the bar's surface. Mira nodded and lifted a finger, signifying that she would have it in a second, before she fumbled with things under the counter. Lucy sighed before sending a grateful smile to Natsu.

"Thanks, Natsu. Anyway, we didn't mean to get married, it was an accident. We were trying to have a fake wedding. The priest was supposed to be a dark mage, a fake priest, but we got the wrong guy. He actually married us for real," Lucy explained, slumping back onto the counter. Mira popped her head back up and tossed the magazine onto the counter.

"Hey Lucy, you finally got on the cover of Sorcerer Weekly!" Happy chirped from above. Lucy did not respond.

Natsu swiftly flipped through the pages, stopping when he landed on their article. He skim-read it until his eyes zeroed onto a particular paragraph. Lucy picked her head up.

"Let me read, I want to see how much damage was done," Lucy asked, leaning closer to Natsu, putting some of her weight onto his shoulder, looking down at the magazine. Natsu quickly stood up from his barstool, magazine in hand almost causing Lucy to lose her balance and fall.

"I'm gonna burn every last copy to ash!" he declared, lighting his hand aflame, the glossy pages of the magazine being reduced to a mere pile of ashes. He then stormed away from them and out the guild's doors. Happy floated down and took Natsu's seat.

"It's probably best you don't read it anyway, you wouldn't have liked it. I gave Jason all of the juicy details of you and Natsu's relationship!" Happy cackled. Lucy leaned down next to one of his ears.

"I'm going to give you a 5-second head start before I grab you and pluck out all of your whiskers. One..." she whispered wickedly, beginning to count before Happy zoomed out of the guild.

"Aren't you gonna go after him?" Levy asked, gently rocking the baby in her arms. She had definitely risen to the task of becoming an excellent mother. When the twins were born, all she did was stare at them. Gajeel would catch her in a daze as she watched them sleep in their crib, having to often carry her back to bed when she fell asleep herself. People would have to tap on her shoulder to get her attention at the guild when she watched them. Everyone complained about it, but Levy didn't care.

"No, I just needed him gone for a bit so I can process," Lucy said, massaging her temples before her gaze turned to the small child Levy held. She reached out a hand and lightly brushed the blue tufts on its head through her fingers. "Hi there cutie, how are you today?" she cooed.  
Levy smiled.

"She's great, only woke Mommy and Daddy up once last night!" Levy spoke quietly, obviously excited. The first few weeks of the twin's life gave Gajeel and Levy constant eye bags, but she knew that both of them wouldn't trade them for a thing, no matter how many hours they were kept up at night.

"Where's Yaje? With Gajeel I presume?"

Levy nodded. "Mhm. He went to get groceries and took him with him. It's easier giving one to each of us, although my other arm does feel a bit empty."  
Lucy smiled. "Can you imagine life without them?" she questioned softly, eyes focused on the sleeping baby in front of her.

Levy grinned in response, looking down at her child fondly. "Not for a second." After tearing her eyes away from her precious daughter, they moved to Lucy, reading her interactions with her child. "Lucy, have you ever thought of a future with Natsu? I understand not wanting to jump in with marriage just yet, but have you ever considered it?"

"Kind of..."

A lie. No, she hadn't ever thought of it. Well, her subconscious had, according to her dream last night.

A bottle flew from behind Lucy and hit her in the head. "Ouch! Can someone please take control of Cana?" she whined, rubbing the spot on her head that would surely have a bump later. Cana came up from behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, taking a swig from her barrel. When she finished, she turned to Lucy and looked at her deep in the eyes.

"So Lucy... When are you and Natsu planning on doing the dirty? Or have you already done it? Hmm? _Hic!_ " Cana slurred. Lucy practically had steam pouring out of her ears.

"Anyone with bets placed under N+L subsection M please come to the bar to divvy up the winnings," Mira announced over one of the guild's microphones.

"Woohoo!" Cana cheered. All of a sudden, more than half the guild stood up and stampeded over to the bar. Dust fell from the ceiling and the roar of the large crowd was deafening. Shutora began to cry, so Levy stood up to take her to a more secluded corner of the guild. Lucy covered her ears and followed.

"What are people even betting on?" Lucy asked when they finally sat down at the table. Levy squirmed a bit and looked off to the side.

"Uh... you," Levy finally said. "Well, you and Natsu. I'm guessing this is the bet on how long it would take you guys to get married." Lucy's eyes bugged out of her head.

"Are you serious? For how long?"

Levy scratched her neck. "Since the Grand Magic Games, maybe?" Lucy abruptly stood from her chair and began to stomp over to the bar. "While you're over there, check and see if I was close, I can't remember my guess!" Levy called after her.

"Cana!" Lucy growled as she pushed through the crowds of people. Cana put down her barrel and giggled once she caught sight of Lucy.

"Howdy there, Mrs. Dragneel!" she said before belching.

"You all have been betting on how long it would take Natsu and I to get married?" she asked incredulously. Cana smiled.

"Not just that, there are _tons_ of other bets about you two! Man, I'm gonna buy the finest wine out there with all of this money!" Cana fantasized. Lucy quickly turned to Mira, who was making change over at the register.

"Mira, what other bets are there?" Lucy asked nervously, biting her fingernails. Did people really have that much faith in her and Natsu's relationship? Mira opened the infamous 'bet binder'.

"Let's see... First kiss, who will confess first, when Natsu will get his first erection..." Lucy's mouth opened in surprise. He has to have had one by now, right? "Oh here's a past one, first time Natsu will grope Lucy." She paused to laugh. "That was a fun one, no one expected it to be so soon! I think Natsu actually placed a bet on this one..." she trailed off, scanning the list of names. Lucy's face flushed a deep red as she instinctively covered her chest with her arms. "Don't worry Lucy, there are bets placed on tons of other couples in the guild."

Juvia suddenly appeared from behind Lucy's shoulder. "How many does Juvia have with Gray~sama?" she inquired, hearts in her eyes. Lucy jumped from her sudden appearance. "Congratulations on you and Natsu's marriage Love Ri- Lucy~san! Please tell Juvia how you did it," she asked, placing a desperate hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"For the last time, Natsu and I aren't married!" Lucy cried out frustratedly. Her face suddenly turned from hostile to one that showed a realization. "Mira, do you have a lacrima phone I can borrow?" she inquired frantically. She frowned.

"Sorry Lucy, I don't. Not many people here in Magnolia have one."

"Gray~sama has one!" Juvia butted in. "Juvia thinks Erza does too, but she's out on a job this week." Lucy turned to face her.  
"Is he here?" she asked desperately.

Juvia shook her head. "No, it's a bit too early for him. He likes to get up late. Just a little something Juvia learned while we were living together!" she swooned, hearts in her eyes.

"Lucy, what do you need a lacrima phone for?" Mira said.

"I figured out how I'm gonna clear the air after that stupid article was published! I have to call Jason first," Lucy said, standing up from her barstool. "I'll be back later!" she called, turning to dash out of the guild, but was stopped when she caught sight of the _giant_ banner hanging across the back wall. It read, "Congratulations, Natsu and Lucy! Finally!" Lucy stopped for a moment to gather herself, before ignoring it and exiting the guild immediately, but not without hearing the snickers and wolf whistles from behind her.

* * *

Natsu was sure he had hit every magazine stand in Magnolia, but he kept finding more! Were the people of Magnolia really _that_ interested in wizard gossip? He was about to go up to the next vendor and buy all of the magazines to burn until he caught sight of a familiar iron dragon-slayer with a baby strapped to his chest, shuffling through a fruit stand. Natsu almost doubled over in laughter. Gajeel looked up from the assortment of fruits and looked towards the obnoxious cackling, rolling his eyes.

"You look ridiculous, Metal Freak!" he choked out between laughter. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"I'm taking care of my family, idiot. This is how a man looks," he stated, his child giggling at Natsu. Gajeel looked down at him proudly. "That's right, buddy, laugh at the moron." Natsu stood up, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Moron, really? Nice one," he said before squatting down to face the gurgling baby, a grin stretching across his face. "Hey, little guy," he said, holding up a finger to its chubby hands.

"Believe me, I'd call you something way better if I didn't have my innocent child strapped to my chest. Your hands better clean," Gajeel sneered. Natsu's smile vanished only to be replaced by a grimace. He took his hand away before lighting it on fire.  
"There, sterilized," he affirmed, bringing his hand back to the baby's hand, who took hold of one of his fingers. "Hard to believe you're his father, considering how cute he is." Gajeel ignored him. "Listen, salamander, I heard about you and blondie getting hitched."

"Don't start, it was an accident." Gajeel guffawed.

"How do you marry a girl by accident?" he shouted in disbelief. "Poor blondie, she deserves so much better."

"Shut up. We're getting divorced anyway, even though I don't see what the big deal is. It doesn't make much of a difference, it's not like she actually has to be my wife."

"How dumb are you?" Gajeel said in disbelief. "Listen, I don't know what the dynamics of you and Lucy's relationship are, but I do know this. As long as you are her husband, you need to take care of her," Gajeel asserted. If there was something that Gajeel knew how to do, it was take care of his wife and family.

"I've always taken care of her, married or not! And I plan to for the rest of my life," Natsu assured. "She's the most important thing to me, I'd never let anything happen to her," he added in a low tone.

"Sounds to me that you've got some things to sort out with both yourself and her. I have grocery shopping to do," Gajeel said, turning around to get back to his errands. He stopped momentarily, turning back around and approaching his slowly. "Y'know you could end up with one a' these, Gihee" he joked, picking up his son's arm to wave at Natsu. He stuck out his tongue and giggled. "You're so smart, Yaje," Gajeel said with a smile, turning back around and walking deeper into the market.

Natsu huffed, shaking his head to return to the task at hand before his side was harshly punched and sent him to the ground out of surprise. He looked up to face his attacker, dumbfounded when he saw Gray staring down at him. "What do you want this early in the morning, stripper?"

"Do you not speak English? When I say, "go return the ring", it means, "go return the ring!" he screamed. Natsu's face twisted in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu questioned, rubbing at his side.

"I read the article, they've got copies all over town. They interviewed the man at the ring store," Gray said. Natsu's mind flashed back to what he had read earlier.

_"'They said they were going to come and return it once their job was done, but they never came back! That engagement ring was one of my finest!' stated Mark Evans, the jeweler who sold Natsu the engagement ring. We have an inside source telling us that the story they told him was a cover-up to keep their marriage hush-hush!"_

Gray scoffed. "You know what I'm talking about! You didn't return the ring!" Natsu's eyes widened.

"Listen, Gray, I don't ask you for favors very much but you gotta keep this quiet. I-" Natsu was interrupted at the sound of a golden-haired celestial mage calling to them from afar. She smiled when she saw them, catching her breath before increasing her speed to catch up to them.

"I promise I'll explain later, just please don't tell her!" Natsu begged, eyes wide and pleading. Lucy finally came to a stop once she reached them. She breathed heavily, smoothing down her rumpled hair.

"Thank goodness I finally found you guys! Natsu, every magazine vendor I've come across is all shaken up from your ruckus! Why are you burning all of the Sorcerer Weekly magazines?" Lucy questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

Natsu sweated nervously. "Uh, I thought you didn't like them?" he answered.

"Well no duh, but they're still gonna keep printing them. This is their most popular story since the twins were born!" Lucy said. She was right, most of Sorcerer Weekly's readers were fairly interested in life in Fairy Tail. _Especially_ the relationships within it.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Gray, can I borrow your lacrima phone? I need to make a call." Lucy asked, awkwardly shifting her weight. Something seemed off between the two. Well, something was always off with them, but it was different this time. Gray definitely seemed quieter, and Natsu looked uneasy.

Gray was silent for a moment, debating on whether to tell her or not. He looked at Natsu standing beside her, pleading eyes staring into his soul. "Please," they said.

Gray sighed. "Sure, here you go. I hope you know how to work it," he said, pulling it out of his pocket and tossing it to her. She happily caught it.

"Yep! Thanks, Gray! It won't be long! I have to ask Jason for something. He owes me, anyway," she said, walking off to the side of the street to make her call.

Gray turned to stare at Natsu. "Can't wait to hear your explanation," he demanded expectantly.

"Later," Natsu replied quietly. He turned his gaze to the blonde chatting eagerly on the phone. The blonde who had caused so much inner turmoil. The blonde who was causing Natsu to lose his mind. The girl who had turned his life upside down, but in the best way. He placed a hand on his head, rubbing it stressfully.

_"Oh god... What is she doing to me?"_


	5. Drunk Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel

The walk out of the market surprisingly wasn't as awkward as Natsu thought it would be. Gray didn't speak very much, though. Lucy rambled on and on about her plan to restore her virtue. Apparently, she had convinced Jason to do a followup story about them where Lucy planned to clear the air on the whole marriage incident.

"I just hope he doesn't turn it around some way that makes this situation even worse," Lucy said, letting out a huff of air. "Are you even listening, Natsu?"

"Mhm. Go talk to Jason, make it all better," Natsu summarized, seemingly distracted. What was he supposed to say to Gray? He barely had an explanation. _"Whatever, that's a problem for future Natsu,"_ he decided in his head.

They eventually made it to Strawberry Street, and Lucy decided she was going back to her apartment for a while. "I'm pretty sure the guild is throwing an even bigger party later tonight, so make sure to show up later," Gray finally spoke up, breaking his walk-long silence.

"And submit myself to more torture? No thanks," Lucy responded, planning on spending the rest of her day meditating and writing.

"Lucyyyyy, come on! It will be boring without you there," Natsu whined. "It's just a party! You know them, they'll use any excuse just to get drunk and party. A few months ago, they had a celebration for Juvia because she was able to get stripper over there to eat one of her Juvi-buns," he proclaimed, dropping to his knees and grabbing onto her legs hysterically. Lucy screeched in embarrassment.

"Fine, I will go! Please get off my legs, you're making a scene!" Lucy said, giving into Natsu's hysterics. He immediately shot back up and laughed. "I'm staying here for a while, though. I'll see you guys later," she said, starting to go up into her apartment before Natsu grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Bye," he spoke quietly, smirking into her hair as he wrapped himself around her torso, knowing he was embarrassing her further. But truthfully, he didn't care. Lucy's cheeks turned a dusty pink. After all that has happened in the past year, allowing him to be touchy with her seemed to help him. She guesses that's why he's started doing things like that, anyway.

"Bye," she managed to squeak out, squeezing his arm with her hand in affection before he released her. When she disappeared into the building, Natsu sighed and turned to Gray with a scowl.

"Well? I'm waiting," Gray demanded, crossing his arms expectantly. Natsu shifted uncomfortably, searching his head for any kind of response. A few seconds later, he grumbled and turned to the street, stomping towards his home in the forest.

"I'm not telling you out here, we're right in front of Lucy's. We're going to my house," he stated, picking up his pace a bit. Gray quickly followed, grabbing his collar and pulling him back.

"Your little shed? No way, I've heard from Lucy myself that your house is a DUMP."

"Then you're getting nothin' outta me," Natsu said, yanking himself out of Gray's grasp. "So what'll it be, popsicle?"

Gray grumbled and hesitantly followed. "You know, I could care less why you're hoarding the ring. I'm just convinced you did something to it. Oh my god, you lost it didn't you?"

"I didn't lose it!" Natsu guaranteed, annoyed by Gray's accusations.

When they finally arrived, (taking a few pit stops to wrestle) Gray gagged at the state of Natsu's home and Natsu rummaged through his things to find the velvet box. "I thought you said you didn't lose it," Gray spoke, his voice muffled due to the hand covering his mouth.

"Can you be patient for one minute? And why the hell are you covering your mouth?" Natsu spat over his shoulder as he hunted for the ring.

"I don't want to inhale contaminated air."

"Shut up, you priss! I invite you into my humble home- Oh wait! I found it!" Natsu wiped the dust off of the top and opened up the small box, revealing a glittering diamond sitting between two ruby red sapphires resting on a silver band. Natsu took it out and played with it between his fingers. "I don't know why I didn't return it. It..." Natsu paused for a moment, collecting his unsure thoughts. "It just seems _right._ I couldn't return it. If I were to propose to Lucy one day..." Gray's eyes widened as he realized Natsu wasn't as dense as he made himself out to be. "This would be the one."

Gray stared at him in seriousness for a minute. Then, he silently walked towards the door.

"Where the hell are you going!?" Natsu shouted, unable to interpret Gray's actions.

"I got what I came for. I'm not staying here any longer than I have to." Natsu crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Fine by me, it's gonna take forever for your stench to clear out of here," Natsu insulted, watching Gray's figure leave his small house. Gray suddenly stopped and turned around.

"I'm not going to tell anybody. You're lucky that most of the guild is dumber than doornails and can't put two and two together, because if they had any sense everyone would know you kept it after they read the article. If Lucy reads it though-"

"I know."

Gray sighed. "Listen, I have almost _zero_ respect for you, but the fact that you didn't go against what your heart was telling you gave me some. You've grown, Natsu, and I have too. I'm trying my best not to ignore my feelings because life is precious. You and I should know that." Natsu was silent, knowing what he was referring to. They say you can't remember pain, but the grief they both went through was unforgettable, even if it was just a misunderstanding. No, more like a miracle. Natsu could recall it taking over his body, making him lose control. When he learned she was, in fact, alive, it was like taking a breath of fresh air. He imagines Gray felt the same way.

"I hope you know what to do with it, flame brain," Gray joked, turning back around, his figure disappearing out of the forest. Natsu looked down at the delicate ring in his hand. What would she say if she knew he kept it? Natsu chuckled to himself. She'd freak. He would do it, one day. When she wasn't so afraid. He _was_ going to kiss her the day they embarked on the 100-year quest, but after reading her expression, he decided against it.

She wasn't ready then, so he decided to wait.

But when _would_ she be ready?

_Clink!_

"Shit!" Natsu exclaimed as he dropped to his knees to pick up the ring he had dropped while playing with it between his fingers.

* * *

Lucy hesitantly walked into the guild later that evening, sporting a red party dress that went down to her mid-thigh. She received many looks on the walk there, including some people yelling, "does your husband know you're wearing that?!"

Subconsciously smoothing down her dress, she scanned the guild, reading their state of sobriety. It seemed that everyone was pretty sober, (with the exception of Cana) but it was still the beginning of the night. In a few hours, everyone would be _hammered._ It seemed that Natsu wasn't here yet, so she went to the bar where some of the other Fairy Tail girls were sitting to grab a small drink. Not enough to get her drunk, but maybe a little tipsy. She shuddered at the thought of what she was like the last time she had been drunk.

Lucy shook it off, deciding to let herself have fun. She deserved it!

When she managed to fight her way through the dancing crowds and to the bar, the girls all cheered as she sat down. She waved her hand in greeting.

"LUCY!~" they all cried, seemingly a bit tipsy. Lucy noticed Levy wasn't with them, looking around for either her or Gajeel. Erza read her confusion.

"They're not here, at home with the twins," Erza said, untwisting a bottle of liquor before bringing it to her lips for a swig. She licked her lips, savoring the tangy flavor. "Mmm, I haven't had alcohol that good in a while," Erza said before tossing her head back for another drink.

"Hey Erza, I thought you were out on a job this week?"

"Finished it early. Cana also sent me a message about the party tonight, so I came back a day early."

"Aren't you tired?" Lucy sweatdropped, thinking of the last time she came home from a job with sore muscles and with intentions to do nothing more than sleep. Thankfully, she had Natsu to ease her achy muscles. He was surprisingly a very good masseuse.

Lucy's question was ignored by Erza, who was currently savoring the liquor, oblivious to the ruckus around her. "Calm down, Lucy! Have a shot!" Cana cheered, drunkenly bringing a shot glass to Lucy's lips, forcing her to down the burning liquid down her throat. When she finished, she shook her head as she recovered.

"I don't know how anyone could enjoy a shot," Lucy groaned, the other girls chuckling around her. Evergreen stirred her finger in her martini.

"I find that Elfman pays me more attention when I'm drunk," she said, taking her finger out of the drink and sucking the excess off her finger. "I think he likes it."

"Juvia thinks Gray~sama is sexy when he drinks!" Juvia piped in, hands clasped in front of her, probably dreaming up some fantasy in her head.

"You think 'Gray~sama' is sexy all the time," Lucy commented, the other girls laughing. "Juvia, are you not drinking tonight?"

The hearts in her eyes popped like balloons. "Not tonight, Gray~sama told me not to..."

Erza slammed her now empty bottle onto the bar. "Don't ever let a man dictate what you can and cannot do! We are strong, _independent_ women! We can handle our liquor just as good as they can!" she roared, seemingly already drunk. All the women cheered at her speech, many more drinks being ordered, Mirajane and Lisanna scrambling around to take them all.

"Trust me, Erza~san, Juvia has no problems with her self-worth, but she wants to keep Gray~sama happy!" Juvia assured, everyone unsurprised by her antics.

A few more drinks later, Lucy felt herself getting tipsy, and tried her best to slow down. Cana noticed this, and a sly smirk appeared on her lips as she got an idea. Her hazy eyes scanned the guildhall, passing over the other drunken guild members in search of a crucial prop to her plan. When she spotted what she needed, she drunkenly giggled and shakily stood up from her seat at the bar and stumbled around to go get it. Taking the bouquet of flowers out of their vase, she took a swig out of her barrel before shouting, "I think the bride needs to do the bouquet toss!" Mirajane's face lit up, coming out from behind the bar and grabbing Lucy's hand and leading her to the center of the guildhall.

"All unwed women please prepare for Lucy's bouquet toss!" she called, a stampede of women storming the floor, forming a large group of women eager to catch the flowers. Juvia's evil and determined aura scared some of them.

 _"Juvia will for sure be next to wed"_ she declared, Gray at a nearby table shuttering.

"Please don't let her catch it," he chanted, stressfully stripping out of his clothes.

Lucy played with the hem of her dress, debating in her mind whether this was a good idea. It would only give them more reason to view them as a married couple. Her sober self would've said "no" with no hesitation. Her current tipsy state, however...

"Will you guys get off my back if I do it?" she asked, giving in. Mirajane cheered in giddiness as she handed the bouquet to Lucy before joining the rest of the women. Lucy slowly turned around, tightly gripping the stems, her mind running a thousand miles a minute. She had been under so much stress in the past few weeks, she needed to let go of it for a little while. Tonight, she was going to get drunk, dance, and have fun. And it started with this. With a wide smile, she raised the flowers over her head, the crowd's cries of anticipation growing steadily, Juvia ready to attack anyone who got in the way of her and her ticket to marriage. Finally, Lucy threw them behind her head, all worry and stress about what is to come in the future leaving her body.

They seemed to soar through the air in slow motion, everyone's eyes following as they flew over their heads, the bouquet landing in the small hands of Asuka near the back of the group, being held up on someone's shoulders. A cheesy smile gracing her lips, she and the rest of the guild cheered as she held them up in triumph. The crowd of women cleared out, grumbling, Juvia melting into a puddle of tears in the middle of the floor. Lucy froze when she was able to recognize who was holding Asuka atop their shoulders.

"Nice job, Asuka! High five!" Natsu told the little girl, carefully placing her down on the ground and squatting to give her a high five.

"Thanks, Natsu!" she giggled before running off to her parents, Alzack and Bisca shooting him a grateful smile. Natsu stood up and shot a smile in Lucy's direction. Her face turned a deep scarlet.

"Looks like you're having fun," he commented, walking over to her while observing her attire, making a mental note to himself that red was his new favorite color on her. When he finally reached her, his eyes widened and face paled when he smelt alcohol on her. "You're not drunk, are you?" he asked worriedly. Cana came up from behind him, dropping her now empty wine barrel onto the floor along the way. How she had never gotten alcohol poisoning, Lucy would never know.

"Not drunk enough," she commented, plopping back into her bar chair and grabbing another bottle. Natsu looked at Lucy in question, waiting for her to confirm.

"I'm a bit tipsy- _hic_!"

"Well, then let me catch up," Natsu decided, pulling Lucy and himself onto barstools and ordering two fiery shots from Mira. With an ecstatic smile on her face, she rushed to fill his order. "We having fun tonight?" Lucy smiled.

"Yeah." Natsu grinned in response, grabbing one of the shot glasses and bringing it to Lucy's lips as she grabbed the other one, bringing it up to his. "Cheers," Natsu said before they both threw their head back, downing the fiery shot.

Lucy coughed. "I'll never get used to that," she choked out, Natsu laughing as he patted her back.

"Hey, does the groom get to throw anything? That looked fun," he asked, Lucy's eyes widening as she looked to an eager Mira.

"Actually-" she began.

" _No_!" Lucy screamed, having no intention of having Natsu up her skirt taking off a garter.

"Psh, no fair," he whined.

A few more shots later, and they were hammered.

"Nashuuu~" Lucy slurred, brushing her now messy hair back in an attempt to cool her down. "I wanna dance!" Natsu, who was currently standing on a nearby table and doing some sort of dance with Happy.

"I already am, Lushee!" he replied drunkenly, accidentally kicking a glass off the table. "Hehe, oops."

"Nooo! I mean on the dance floor!" Lucy whined, stumbling out of her barstool and over to his table and pulling on his pant leg. "Come dance with me, Mr. Dragneel!"

"Only if you let me sleep in your bed tonight!"'

"Done! C'mere Kitty Natsu!~" Natsu shakily stepped down from the table, laughing at his state of drunkenness.

"My head feels funny!"

"Will you purr for me, Natsu~kun?" Lucy asked, pulling his sleeve, leading him to the dance floor. The crowd parted for them, letting the newlyweds take the center floor. As they danced the night away, they sweated out a bit of the alcohol. Later, the music turned to a slow song. Makarov, making his first appearance of the night, came over the intercom to make an announcement.

"It's time for the Dragneels to have their first dance!" he announced, the crowd leaving the dance floor.

"Shoo! Shoo! Don't ruin their moment!" Mirajane yelled, trying her best to sweep the other drunken members off the floor.

A now slightly less drunk Lucy shyly turned to Natsu and beckoned for him to come closer to her. He obeyed, quickly wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head into her hair, inhaling one of his favorite scents, _her_. She smiled, her tipsy self enjoying the close contact, lacing her arms around his neck. They were silent for a bit, simply enjoying each other's company.

"Hey Natsu," she finally spoke up.

"Hm?"

"What if you had gotten married to Erza instead? That would've been funny," Lucy pondered, giggling to herself at the thought of an Erza Dragneel. A shiver ran down Natsu's spine.

"What about you and Gray? You know Juvia would've _killed_ you."

"Shh! She might hear you!" Natsu laughed, leaning back to look at her. Lucy laughed with him, both of them cracking up over their dumb jokes. Lucy wiped a tear from her eye. "You know... I'm glad it's you."

Natsu quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Lucy's face dusted pink. "Yeah... I mean, I think I would be absolutely miserable if I had gotten married to Gray. With you, it's not so bad."

"Why is that?" he boldly questioned. Lucy's face turned an even deeper red.

"I- I don't know! It's just..." she started, taking a moment to collect herself. "You're different," she finally managed to squeak out. "I think that if I was in this mess with anyone else, it wouldn't be the same."

Natsu grinned, happy with her confession. He boldly pressed a kiss to her forehead before burying his head back into her hair. "I'm glad it's you, too."

Lucy, unable to hide her grin, pulled herself closer to Natsu, burying her head in his chest and inhaling. His smell was her favorite, it was like a campfire. At the moment though, he reeked of B.O. "Ew, you need a bath," she commented, smiling when she felt his chest shake with laughter.

Okay, maybe their predicament wasn't _that_ bad. At least, that's what tipsy Lucy decided.

* * *

The next morning, Natsu was awoken with a pounding headache, the sun pouring into his eyes, making him groan and flop over onto the soft pillow. He felt a gentle hand caress his messy bed-head.

"Here, take this. It will help your hangover," Lucy said quietly to accommodate both of their pounding heads, handing him some painkillers and a glass of water. He unwillingly sat up, his body begging him to lie back down, and quickly downed the pills before flopping back down onto Lucy's comfortable bed.

"You're always takin' care of me. Thanks, Luce," he mumbled out.

"Well, in sickness and in health."

"What?"

"Nothing."


	6. Trouble Twins

"Natsu, do you wanna go to the guild and get some lunch?" Lucy asked, sifting through her mail while Natsu rested on the couch, eyes tightly squeezed shut as he fought his pounding headache. "Maybe Wendy will be there and she'll be able to lift your hangover. Ugh, that bitchy judge still hasn't sent our papers."

"Lunch? I missed breakfast?!" Natsu yelled in disbelief, sitting up rashly, forgetting his current condition before being painfully reminded of his throbbing head. "I feel like I fell off a building. How come you aren't hungover?" Lucy threw her mail on the table before returning into the living room and sitting next to Natsu on the couch, who flopped down onto her lap.

"I have a medication I take before I drink so I won't get hungover. It's a special kind Virgo got for me in the spirit world. It's like birth control, but for hangovers," Lucy answered, bringing up a hand to run through his surprisingly soft pink locks, a satisfied rumble coming from Natsu. He really did like it when she touched him, usually, it was him initiating that sort of thing. "Some food might help, all you've had is some toast and water."

"Okay. Headache's finally wearing off a bit. Next time, share some of your magic pills," he grumbled before slowly sitting up. While he would've preferred to stay in Lucy's lap and let her pet him, he was truly in desperate need of sustenance.

* * *

When they finally entered the Fairy Tail guildhall, Natsu made a mad dash to the buffet. Seating herself at their regular table, Lucy waited for him to come back with his food. Scanning the guild in boredom, she noticed Levy at the job board biting her nails while Gajeel told her something, holding up a request. It was odd to see them there, they didn't take many jobs often. With their newest additions, they were kept pretty busy.

 _"Taking care of Natsu and Happy is enough work, I can't imagine what taking care of two babies is like!"_ Lucy wondered in her head. Speak of the devil, Natsu was already returning with two plates. He started getting into the side of the booth opposite Lucy but paused. Seemingly deciding against his first intentions, he moved over to Lucy's side and sat next to her. Lucy smiled at his actions, and then looked to his plates.

"You must be hungry, Mr. two plates," Lucy commented, scooching over a bit on their side of the booth to make some space for him. While she loved that he wanted to be close to her, she knew he was a very messy eater and had no intention of getting food stains on her new top. He shook his head and pushed one of them to her.

"No, you weirdo, that one's yours. I gotcha' a drink too, Mira will probably bring it over here in a bit," he answered, digging into some sort of meat he grabbed from the buffet. Lucy looked down at the food he got for her, an ear-splitting grin appearing on her face when she saw an assortment of fruits and a carton of yogurt.

 _"My favorite..."_ she thought, amazed that he had thought of what _she_ would have wanted instead of picking out things that appealed to his stomach. Overtaken by her emotions, she turned and pressed a quick, sweet kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Natsu." His face turned scarlet red, trying to dig deeper into his food to hide his flushed face, not wanting her to know how her kiss affected him.

The comfortable silence of their brunch was interrupted by Gajeel's quiet protests as Levy dragged him to their table, and threw him in the other side of the booth. She gracefully sat down, placing a soda in front of Lucy.

"Hey Lu-chan, Mira asked me to give this to you," Levy said, an obvious pretend smile on her face.

"Uh, thanks?" Lucy said, unsteadily taking a sip. Why was Gajeel here too?

"What the hell are you doing at our table, nails?" Natsu asked with no shame, not bothering to swallow his food before speaking.

"Does it look like I wanna be sittin' over here, pinky?" Gajeel countered, earning a glare from Levy.

Lucy smacked Natsu upside the head, shoving a napkin to his mouth.

"Don't be rude, Natsu! And please, swallow before you speak," Lucy scolded. "But I have to agree, not that I don't enjoy your company, but what do you two want?" Levy took a deep breath in defeat. "Can you guys please watch the twins?" she quickly spoke like a balloon releasing air, looking at Lucy with doe eyes.

"Well, of course, I love those sweet babies, but why not ask Alzack and Bisca? They're much more experienced than us, and they've watched them once or twice before, right?" Lucy questioned.

"That's what I said! See, Lev, even bunny girl agrees with me," Gajeel erupted, avoiding Natsu's glare. Levy slumped deeper into the table, placing a hand on her forehead in frustration.

"We've asked them too much, besides, they already have their hands full with Asuka. She's getting to be a bit older now, and from what I've read in parenting books, a kid at her age is a handful, and that combined with two babies seems even worse," Levy stressed, before looking over to Juvia who was currently bouncing a giggly Shutora on her lap, a wide smile on her face. Gray stood nearby, cuddling a currently sleeping Yaje. "I hate to leave them, especially when they're so young, but we really need the money. I wouldn't trade them for the world, but no one ever tells you how expensive kids are!"

"Couldn't keep it in your pants could'ya, metal mouth," Natsu snorted, taking another large bite of his brunch. He earned an iron club to the face and swift kick in the shin (courtesy of Mrs. Dragneel) from under the table.

Levy, ignoring Natsu's comment, continued to gaze at her children she loved so fondly. "Oh my god, is that a hickey on Juvia's neck?" Levy noticed, spotting a dark bruise on the side of her neck, peeking out from under her high collar. Gajeel smirked when he caught a glimpse of it himself.

"Nice work, Juvia! Finally got stripper over there to give you some action! I didn't think he could do it!" he called across the guildhall, laughing boisterously at Gray's paling face. "Don't drop my son now, popsicle!"

Lucy brought her hands across the table, placing them over Levy's tightly clasped ones. "Absolutely. I'd be happy to watch them for the day" Levy turned her attention back to the blonde, smiling in gratitude before shaking her head.

"Actually, this is an overnight job, and taking care of those two overnight is a two-person job. We're asking both you _and_ Natsu," Levy said.

"I really don't want pyro over there takin' care of my kids, just for the record," Gajeel commented, knowing his fiancée wouldn't budge. Natsu threw a bone, clean of meat, down on his plate.

"Delicious," he commented, licking his fingers. "So you want me and Luce to watch 'em for ya? I'm all for it!" he voiced happily, looking at Lucy, waiting for her response. Her face was twisted, indecisive on how to handle her current situation. Obviously, she'd do anything for her best friend. And she loved those kids, it's not like she would hate doing it. The conflicting part, however, was doing it with Natsu. Her cheeks flushed, knowing that if she accepted they would be spending the night. But to be fair, he probably would've snuck in anyway. Lucy had also been growing fonder of their sleepovers. She was also interested to see him in action with the twins.

 _"What the hell!"_ she thought.

"Absolutely. You can count on us," she finally answered with a smile. Levy had one similar, squeezing Lucy's hands in excitement. Gajeel rolled his eyes, but she was sure he was grateful as well. (Hopefully.)

"Thank you both so so much! Okay Gajeel, let's go get all of their stuff from the house!" Levy said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the booth, similar to how she had been dragging him around earlier. How a person as tiny as she was could haul him around, Lucy had no idea. However, she had a sneaking suspicion that he probably lets her. "We'll bring it all to your apartment, Lu-Chan. The twins are with Gray and Juvia, and we have to leave in about two hours, so can you meet us there a bit before then? Thank you!" she rushed, eager to gather all the baby supplies, wanting to make sure her babies had everything they needed for a night without them.

Watching them rush out the guild, Lucy sweat-dropped, "I feel like they're gonna bring a huge cart of stuff," she said. Natsu laughed.  
"Probably one like Erza's," he snorted, swiping a strawberry from her unfinished plate. As he munched on the sweet berry, he noticed Lucy's troubled expression. "Somethin' wrong, Luce?" he asked, reaching over to her plate to grab another piece of fruit when his hand was slapped.

"That's mine" she began, grabbing her yogurt and stirring it with her spoon anxiously. "I just don't want to disappoint them, that's all. I mean, I have decent knowledge on caring for babies, but I certainly don't want to mess up," she stressed, taking a large spoonful of yogurt, savoring its sweetness before realizing what she was doing. "Oh god, and now I'm using food as a coping mechanism" she spoke, quickly taking the spoon out of her mouth and throwing it onto the plate.

"There's a name for that? I've always thought it was stress eating," Natsu asked, pleased when he heard a bit of laugher bubble past her lips. He never liked seeing her anxious. He pushed his arm behind her back and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her into his side. He happily noted the red flush that appeared on her cheeks. "You're forgetting that I'll be there to help."

"What do you know about caring for babies?" she asked quietly, not pulling away from his embrace.

"I dunno', enough. How hard could it be?" Lucy facepalmed.

"Natsu, taking care of one baby isn't easy, let alone two! There are so many rules, there are like _five_ different types of cries, and you have to change diapers, and make sure they-"

"Lucy calm down! Stop talking so fast, you're making my ears hurt! Stop worrying so much about it. We've gotten through lots of other stuff before right? Now we just gotta take care of some cute babies," he said, using his other arm to steal a grape off Lucy's plate. "And I'll be there to help, and I'm guessing Happy too. We're a team, right? We got this," he reassured, throwing the small fruit into his mouth.

Lucy exhaled. "You're right. I shouldn't worry so much. Thank you," she said, grabbing another grape off her plate. "Catch this one. Ready?"

Natsu eagerly opened his mouth wide. Lucy tossed it high up in the air and Natsu swerved his head around to catch it, causing Lucy to be uncomfortably pushed up against his side. _"Why won't he just let go?"_

Victoriously chewing his prize, he grinned. "Let's go rescue the poor twins from Gray and Juvia, I think Juvia's about to make Gray give her another hickey," he said, standing from their booth and tugging her up with him. She laughed at his choice of words.

Almost two hours later, Natsu and Lucy left the guild with the twins. Natsu wanted to hold both of them himself, but Lucy made sure that didn't happen.

"Are you sure you know how to hold a baby?" she asked tentatively, cradling Yaje carefully in her arms. Natsu looked at her in disbelief.

"Of course I do. I'm not stupid," he replied, holding Shutora close to his chest, making sure she was comfy.

"I beg to differ, Natsu!" Happy called from above, floating down to the ground.

"Where have you been all day?" Lucy asked. She hadn't seen him since the party last night, he didn't come home with her and Natsu.

"Went home with Wendy and Charle. We went fishing today! I would've asked you guys, but I assumed you would be too lovey-dovey and hungover to go," he explained, looking at the babies in Natsu and Lucy's arms.

"You're lucky I'm holding Yaje, If I wasn't I would've brought out Cancer and had him _shave_ you," Lucy threatened, happiness soon replacing her anger when the baby at her chest snuggled his head against her. "Aww, you're the sweetest thing," she said quietly, lightly caressing the blue tufts of hair on his head.

"What's with the twins? You and Natsu so desperate for kids that you stole Gajeel and Levy's?" Happy asked. Lucy ignored him, trusting Natsu to answer him.

"Me and Luce are gonna watch 'em tonight, Gajeel and Levy are going on an overnight job so they need someone to take care of 'em'," he replied, disappointing Lucy with his lack of scolding to the pervy little cat.

"Is that why I saw Gajeel tugging one of Erza's giant carts to your apartment?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Oh god, there's gonna be baby stuff everywhere! I didn't think she would actually bring so much!" Natsu shrugged.

"You said it yourself, babies are a lot of work," Natsu said, letting Shutora play with one of his fingers. "C'mon, let's start walking down there. Levy will probably throw a fit if we're late."

When they arrived at Lucy's apartment, Levy and Gajeel stood outside, Gajeel consoling Levy, who was in tears. Natsu and Lucy carefully handed them over to their parents.

"I don't want to leave them," Levy said in between sobs, burying her nose into Yaje's hair, inhaling his scent. Gajeel rubbed her back soothingly in comfort. While he wasn't in tears, he still had a pained expression that showed he wasn't happy with leaving his children, either.

"We'll take care of them, I promise," Natsu said, placing a reassuring hand on Gajeel's shoulder. Lucy was shocked by this interaction, not aware that Natsu could say anything to Gajeel that wasn't an insult.

Levy wiped her tears. "I'm sorry, I never like to leave them," she said in between sniffles. "I know you both will take such good care of them," Levy continued with a smile. Happy frowned.

"Um, I'm here too! And I'm not sure how you have so much faith in Natsu," Happy said sharply. Gajeel snorted.

"You and me both," he grumbled, getting a kick in the shin by Levy because her hands were full.

"Okay, we really have to get going. Mommy loves you both so much," Levy cooed, snuggling the baby on her chest and giving Shutora who was still in Gajeel's arms a kiss on the forehead. Gajeel seemed more private about his affection towards his children, settling for snuggling Shutora close and letting Yaje wrap a tiny hand around his index finger. "All of the supplies are inside, and I wrote a list of information in case you guys need it," Levy said, sadly handing Yaje to Lucy and Gajeel (unwillingly) handed Shutora to Natsu.

"If you do _anything_ to my kids, I will skin you," he growled into Natsu's ear. Natsu scoffed, not taking his threat very seriously, but he would be lying if he said that it didn't rattle him a bit. "Daddy loves you, my little girl," he said with a grin to his daughter, (in a spine-chilling baby voice) his once threatening demeanor turning to sweet and gentle. Natsu looked to Lucy in disbelief as Gajeel said goodbye to his son.

When their figures finally disappeared down the road, Happy sped inside to see if anything new had been added to Lucy's fridge. Lucy took an unsteady breath, before turning to Natsu, who had a reassuring grin on his face. He shifted Shutora so he was able to hold her with one arm, extending his free arm to Lucy. "Let's take care of the twins," he beamed. She gave him his favorite 'Lucy smile' in return, walking ahead of him.

"I'm holding onto this one with both arms, sorry," she giggled, disappearing into her apartment building. Natsu sighed.

"Isn't she amazing?" he voiced to the little one propped upon his arm. She responded with happy gurgles, before spitting up onto his shirt. Happy cackled from Lucy's window at the scene.

"Thanks, kid," he said, stomping up the steps. When he walked through Lucy's door, (something he hadn't done in a while) he was greeted by practically a Babies R' Us, a sea of baby supplies scattered all over Lucy's apartment. She stood in the middle of it all, at a loss for words. Happy was currently playing in a bouncer seat.

"Do babies really need this much?" he asked, still in taking all of the baby stuff surrounding him as he walked up behind Lucy. She shook her head.

"I think Levy just overpacked... I hope. Let's see what her instructions say," Lucy said, spotting Levy's list placed on top of her table, written neatly and specifically.

_5:00 pm - Dinner_

_* There are a few bottles in the fridge. Please warm them up a bit before serving. (Not too hot!) We are gonna try using baby food soon, but you won't have to do that tonight, just to make it easier for you guys :)_

_6:00 - Bath (or whenever dinner is over, at least before 7)_

_* Not much to describe here, pretty basic. There is baby soap somewhere. Just be gentle! They love bath time, so it shouldn't be very difficult. They love bubbles, too._

_7:00 - Bedtime_

_* Not gonna lie to you guys, it takes a while for them to get to sleep at first. But recently they've been sleeping through the night, so don't be too worried about them waking you up. It's not too hard to get them back to sleep, I packed some formula you can heat up as well if they need a bottle._

Lucy skipped over all of the stuff for the morning, trying not to overwhelm herself. She furrowed her eyebrows to a note at the bottom.

_Have fun playing house with Natsu! Take advantage of this and see how good of a daddy he would make. ;) -Levy_

"What's it say?" Natsu asked, leaning over her shoulder. She jumped out of her skin, the baby in her arms twisting uncomfortably from the sudden movement.

"I already read it! It's time for their dinner! Can you grab their high chairs?" she said, rambling as her cheeks turned red. Yaje giggled in her arms. "Not funny, little guy," she huffed. "You get an exception though because you're so cute," she chirped, tickling his tummy, a smile quickly appearing on her face as he laughed. Natsu appeared back in the kitchen, with a high chair in each arm. "Natsu! Where is Shutora? You can't leave a baby alone!" Lucy shrieked, instantly calming when Natsu turned around, revealing a happy Shutora strapped in a carrier on his back. He turned back facing forward, a smirk on his face.

"I'm not that dumb, Lucy," he chuckled, turning Lucy's insides to goo. Whenever he gave her one of those smirks, it always made her go weak in the knees. "What are they gonna eat? Mushed up iron pellets?" he played, cackling at his own joke as he set up the high chairs at the table. Lucy rolled her eyes, finally recovered from his sexy expression. She grabbed two bottles out of the fridge, and handed them to the dragon slayer.

"Heat these up. Not too hot," Lucy demanded, watching as he took one in each hand and heated them with a grin, happy he could use his magic to help. The plastic glowed amber from the heat. "Okay, test them to see if they're too hot." Natsu stared blankly at her.

"I don't know how to do that." Lucy slapped her hand to her forehead. " _He knows nothing about babies, remember? Duh"_

"Sorry, let me do it," she responded, placing Yaje into his high chair before reaching out to grab the bottles. He jerked them away out of her reach, and she stared at him in disbelief.

"No... I wanna learn how to do it. Y'know, just for future reference..." he trailed off bashfully. Lucy was in shock, she had no idea that he thought of that kind of stuff.

"Well look at you, thinking ahead. Okay, squeeze out a bit from one of the bottles on your arm to see how hot it is," Lucy explained carefully.

"How do I tell if it's too hot?"

"Just remember, a baby is gonna drink it. You'll know. I trust you." He tentatively squeezed a small drop on his arm. "So?"

"I think it's okay. Lemme do the other one," he grinned, proud of his new baby knowledge. "I think they're good." Lucy rubbed his shoulder affectionately, (his heart soaring at her touch) proud of Natsu as she grabbed one of the bottles to give to Yaje.

"Good job," she said, giving him an appreciative smile. Natsu leaned down to lick the liquid off his arm. "Don't do that!" she shrieked, grabbing a rag and wiping it off his arm.

"Why not?"

"Because, it's weird!" Lucy sputtered.

"But I don't think I've had that before, I wanna try it."

"Trust me, you have."

"When?"

"Shut up, Natsu. Put Shutora in her chair," Lucy groaned, avoiding an uncomfortable conversation with Natsu about breast milk. She handed Yaje his bottle, and he responded by greedily drinking down his dinner. Shutora did likewise when she was put in her chair. Lucy clapped her hands together, pleased that they were finished with their first task of the night. "I haven't had a chance to go to the store, I think tonight we'll just have to heat up some Ramen."

Natsu drooled. "Fine by me! As long as you make mine extra spicy."

As Lucy began making their dinner, their comfortable silence was interrupted by a distress call from Happy. "Natsu, help me!" he cried from the living room. Natsu rushed to the doorway but doubled over laughing when he caught sight of Happy's predicament.

"Stop laughing!"

Natsu wiped a tear from his eye. "How did you get stuck in a _baby toy_?" Lucy snickered, pleased that the obnoxious cat's karma had finally caught up to him.

* * *

Bellies full, they all sat satisfied at the table. Lucy turned to the antsy twins. "It's time for their bath!" she said, standing up from the table and grabbing Shutora from her chair. "Come get Yaje, We're supposed to do this quickly so they can get to bed."

"It's only 6:15! How early do they go to bed?" Natsu gawked.

"In case you haven't noticed, Natsu, they're babies. They sleep a lot."

Happy sniffed. "I think you guys are gonna have to do something else before their bath," he said, his small nose crinkling in disgust. Natsu quickly pinched his nostrils.  
"My sense of smell is a blessing and a curse," he grumbled.

"How could you not smell it before?! Whatever, you're lucky they're about to get in the bath and you don't have to put a new diaper on them. I'll teach you that after, though," Lucy remarked, disappearing with Shutora into the bathroom and starting the water.

"Looks like you're the culprit, little dude," Natsu said, picking Yaje up out of his chair and following Lucy into the bathroom.

"Wipe him off please, Lucy said as she put her hair into a ponytail." Natsu looked at her with unease.

"I don't wanna."

"Too bad! Put the dirty diaper in the Diaper Genie, it's in the living room."

"The diaper wha?"

"Nevermind, I'll do it," Lucy grumbled, passing Shutora to him and grabbing the other smelly twin. "I'd roll up your sleeves, they're gonna splash. Get Shutora ready." Lucy brought Yaje to the changing table, swatting Happy away and wiping him off. "Please don't pee on me, please don't pee on me," she chanted quietly as she disposed of the dirty diaper. When she was done and brought Yaje into the bathroom to get him ready for his bath, her heart soared at the sight in front of her.

There, Natsu stood, tickling Shutora with a wide grin on his face as happy giggles bubbled past the baby's lips. Lucy's mind changed the picture, the blue tufts on Shutora's hair turning pink and her eyes turning into large brown, doe eyes. Natsu looked the most like a father than he had ever been. Sure, he had taken care of Asuka before, but this time was different. He seemed so content with the baby in front of him, and she knew he would be even more caring and gentle with his own child. He finally noticed her figure standing in the doorframe. "Whatcha starin' at, weirdo? It's time for their bath. I put a bunch of bubbles in there," he said with a grin.

"Yeah," she responded, still in a haze, before shaking the picture of Dad Natsu out of her head and resuming the task at hand.

Bathtime was messy but fun. Happy had decided to join in and made himself a bubble beard, Natsu following soon after. Lucy couldn't help but enjoy herself as she carefully washed the twins and watched as they splashed and played in the water. While Natsu and Happy are often the sources of her irritation, they could still make her so incredibly happy. By the time they got out and were being warmed up in fluffy towels Levy had brought, Lucy's bathroom floor was soaked.

When they were dressed and ready for bed, Lucy grabbed a quick shower before helping Natsu tuck them in. It took a lot of rocking and quiet to get them asleep. The duo peered into the crib at the sleeping, peaceful babies. "They look comfortable, even though they're in the same crib," Natsu observed, keeping his voice quiet so he wouldn't wake the babies. Lucy chuckled.

"Well, they spent a few months up against each other, so I don't think they mind. Most twins sleep better when they know each other is close by," she said softly before yawning. Natsu turned his gaze towards his favorite person.

"It's only 8:00, why are you tired?" Natsu said, poking at her arm playfully. She swayed in response, a tired smile gracing her lips.

"I dunno, I guess taking care of babies takes a lot out of you. Do you wanna watch a movie? Maybe that'll wake me up a bit, we gotta keep the volume down though." Natsu nodded his head eagerly before rushing into the kitchen to make popcorn. Lucy giggled as she went to pick out a movie.

They settled onto the couch, popcorn on the coffee table and waited for the movie to load. Honoring their tradition to cuddle during their movie nights, Natsu wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder and pulled her into him. Burrowing deeper into Natsu's side, she tapped him on the arm. He looked down at her.

"What?" he asked before throwing a piece of popcorn at her face, a cheeky smile on his lips.

"Do you ever think about having kids?" she spat out boldly, instantly regretting her decision when he wasn't quick to give her a response like normal. "You know what, nevermind, it was a stupid quest-"

"Yeah." Lucy stopped rambling and looked at him. "I used to not think about it at all, but after Alvarez and stuff when everyone started to settle down it got me thinkin' about it. Do you?" he finished. Lucy squirmed a bit under his gaze.

"Mhm," she answered honestly. It was quiet for a second, neither one of them sure of how to proceed. Natsu soon spoke up.

"You'll make a great mom. From what you've told me about your mom I think you're a lot like her," he said, tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "And of course, everything else about you," he finished sincerely. Lucy's cheeks turned a bright pink and she was unable to contain the smile that appeared on her lips.

"Thank you. I can tell you're gonna make an amazing father," she replied cheerily.

"Ya think so?"

"I know so."

* * *

They fell asleep about 15 minutes into the movie. Taking care of babies really tires you out. Everyone slept peacefully until about midnight when a cry rang through the apartment. Lucy was first to wake, and quickly (but carefully) moved Happy off her lap and escaped from Natsu's arm to calm them. She somehow managed to hold both of them in her arms.

"Shh," she cooed, taking a sniff to make sure they didn't need a diaper change. They didn't seem hungry, either. "You guys miss your mama and papa, huh?" she decided, trying to gently sway them back to sleep. Their cries worsened. "I know, shh, I miss my mama and papa too," Lucy consoled, trying her hardest to stop their crying. She involuntarily thought back to the lullaby her mother used to sing her. _"It's worth a shot,"_ she decided in her head.

Natsu awoke to the cries, groaning when he realized he had to get up and help Lucy, who was no longer next to him. He stumbled to Lucy's bedroom, where they had set up the crib. His ears perked up, however, when he heard an angelic voice quietly singing to the two babies, who were finally calming down. He noted her relieved expression when their cries finally turned into quiet whimpers. She pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads when they finally fell back asleep, leaning down to gently place them down into the crib. Standing back up, she jumped when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Yeesh! You scared me, Natsu," she said quietly, ignoring her pounding heartbeat from his embrace.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I would've helped y'know."

"I know," she whispered, bringing her arms to rest on his.

"Let's go to bed, Luce," he said, tugging her gently to the bed, happy when he felt her head nod. If she were wide awake, she would've protested and threw him out the window, but right now she was just too tired.

Finally settling under the covers, Natsu buried his head into her neck, Lucy sighing at their comfortable position.

"Luce?"

"Mmm."

"Can you sing me that lullaby," Natsu asked tentatively. "It was really pretty..." Lucy smiled and turned to face him, shifting so she was closer to his face.

"Okay." Lucy quietly sang her mother's lullaby that had gotten her to sleep many times in the past, turning it to small hums once she felt Natsu's breathing even out. Their final position had Natsu resting his face between her breasts, his arms tightly around her waist. Lucy couldn't even complain, he made her feel so complete. Finally succumbing to the dark abyss of sleep, she dreamed more of a life with Natsu.

She decided that he had been a pretty good husband, so far.


	7. Realizations and Ice Cream

Normally, when Lucy woke up in Natsu's embrace, she was soaked in sweat and uncomfortably pulled up against him. This morning, she felt nothing but pure bliss.

The bright, early morning sun shone down onto the bed, giving off a comfortable warmth on Lucy's exposed skin. Most of her body was trapped under the blanket, held tightly in Natsu's arms. His face was buried deep in her neck, so Lucy could feel every exhale go down her back. His arms rested around her middle, and from what Lucy could tell their legs were tangled in a knot.

This was different. She had no urge to kick him out, she was fine with their proximity. What was different about this morning than all the others, Lucy didn't know. What she did know, however, was that she had no intention to get up. Sinking deeper into her pillow, she noted that Happy rested in a little ball at their feet. After lying with Natsu for a few minutes, her bladder protested her change of schedule. Groaning, she carefully pulled out of his embrace, not wanting to wake the sleeping dragon.

After doing her business, she noted her appearance in the mirror as she washed her hands. _"Do I look different?"_ she questioned in her head, further examining her visage, scrutinizing every detail in the mirror. Her skin had some sort of glow. Was it that she had gotten a good night's sleep? But whatever it was, she was unable to contain the smile on her face. Could it just be happiness?

"Lushi, are you staring at your butt in the mirror again?" Happy asked, wiping his eyes from sleep in the doorway to the bathroom. Lucy gaped at him, before grabbing her hairbrush and flinging it in his direction. Expecting this outcome, he flew away before it hit him.

"Get out!" she screeched, forgetting of the twins that were peacefully asleep in their crib closeby. She slammed the door that he had opened, and returned to her sink and gripped the countertop tightly. _"I was comfortable with him this morning. Used to his presence."_ Natsu was supposed to make her angry in the mornings with his presence in her bed, but this time she didn't care. Natsu was supposed to make her annoyed all the time, but he would still be her best friend. But was 'best friend' his correct title?

Her train of thought was interrupted by a wail coming from the living room. She'd revisit this topic later. Lucy rushed out of the bathroom to get the twins, to discover Natsu had beaten her there. His bead head and his groggy stance made Lucy deduce he had woken up the second they started crying. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes with one hand as he held a crying baby in the other. Lucy came up next to him and grabbed the other unhappy twin. Their cries soon turned to whimpers once they had comforting pacifiers popped in their mouths.

"They sound kinda like you when they wake up," Natsu commented, Lucy unable to contain her blush at his sleepy voice. She chose to ignore him and continued to console Shutora. "Why didn't you kick me this morning?" he inquired, confused about why he didn't receive his normal wake up call.

"I didn't want to wake the babies," she lied. _"You were happy having him there,"_ her inner voice piped. Natsu shrugged.

"They should sleep over more often. I could get used to not being assaulted every morning," he voiced, smiling when Yaje's sniffles ceased and instead chose to stare back up at Natsu with his innocent, blue eyes. "Hah, I got mine quiet before yours," he bragged. Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"It's not a race," she retorted, stroking Shutora's blue tufts in comfort as her whimpers quieted down.

"LUUUSHI, YOU'RE STILL OUT OF FISH!" Happy whined from the kitchen, Lucy cringing at his high pitched complaint.

"Does he think I've had time to get some since last night?" Lucy huffed, Natsu replying with a shrug before his nose crinkled in disgust at the smell emanating from Yaje. "Since you were able to get him so _calm,_ you can change him yourself," Lucy snickered, leaving him alone with the baby as she went to control Happy.

Natsu cringed as he looked down at Yaje. "How can that smell so bad, all you've had to eat is some milk!"

As Lucy started heating their bottles in the microwave, she couldn't help but smirk victoriously when she heard Natsu's shrill cry from the other room. She should've warned him that baby boys sometimes-

_"LUUUUCY, HE PEED ON ME!"_

In Lucy's opinion, he deserved it.

* * *

After that incident, Natsu decided that he would prefer a daughter.

They arrived at the guild later that morning, after they ate breakfast. Gajeel and Levy were to return around lunch, and Natsu was sure they wouldn't be a minute late. The second they stepped through the giant doors that Natsu had walked through several times before, he made a mad dash to the request board. Poor Lucy was left with two twins in each arm, shuffling carefully to the bar for someone to help. Erza immediately came to her rescue, grabbing the giggling baby girl. Erza was a bit weird around the twins, (well, any baby in general) but Lucy would take it.

"How did last night go?" she asked, holding Shutora in front of her as if she were a ticking time bomb.

"Not too bad, actually! Natsu was a bit clueless, but I think he got the hang of some of the baby stuff after I taught him what to do." Lucy smiled down at Yaje sleeping on her chest before looking back up to Erza. Poor Shutora still dangled in the air by Erza's hands around her tiny torso. Lucy sweatdropped, she was probably more oblivious than Natsu when it came to infants. Juvia came up from behind and tapped Erza on the shoulder, reaching out in a silent request to hold Shutora. Juvia absolutely _adored_ the twins, Lucy was sure she was giving Gray hints.

"Lucy, Lucy!" Natsu yelled from afar, gripping a job request tightly in his hand. "Look at this one! 70,000 jewels just to fight these giant bugs terrorizing a village! Let's go tomorrow!" he spat out eagerly, chest heaving from his run across the guild.

"As fun as _that_ sounds, we're leaving for Crocus tomorrow to do our interview with Jason the next day," Lucy responded, trying her best to not stare at his enticing abs peeking through his vest as he breathed heavily. His shoulders immediately slumped and a loud whine, one she has heard several times, came from the back of his throat.

" _But Luceee!_ This one is close enough we wouldn't have to take a train, and it's just enough for your rent!" he protested. Lucy's cheeks flushed at his thoughtfulness, usually, he was only interested in setting something on fire. (Which was probably his main motive for this job, but Lucy ignored that part.)

"Thank you for thinking about me," she said with a smile, the one that put Natsu at her mercy. Her smile always made him happy. If she was happy, he was happy. Simple as that. "But we have to leave for Crocus tomorrow because our interview with Jason is early the next morning. We can have fun in the city, I know there's that kabob stand you like that we found when we went for the Grand Magic Games."

"Yeah! They set em' on _fire_!"

"Yeah, just how you like it. This interview is really important, I can't stand getting stared at whenever I leave my apartment," Lucy grumbled, recalling earlier in the week when she passed a few little old ladies sitting on a park bench and hearing them debate on whether Natsu and Lucy were actually in love, (a question Lucy should be asking herself), or if they made a rash decision. 'Reckless teenagers' she remembered overhearing. "We can take a job when we get back okay?" Lucy said, batting her eyelashes to help win him over, a trick she had used for years. He couldn't resist her beautiful, brown, doe eyes.

"You're payin' for the kabobs," he huffed under his breath, turning around quickly and starting to put the request back on the board so she couldn't see him blush.

"High five, Yaje!" Lucy whisper yelled to the baby on her chest, using her index finger to tap one of his small hands. Yaje ignored her, looking over her shoulder, more interested in the large doors at the guild's entrance. Looking over to where Juvia stood close by, Shutora was the same. Lucy looked over to her, an eyebrow raised in question. Juvia shrugged her shoulders, not sure what was up with them either.

A few seconds later, the doors flew open, and a solid script mage ran through them, tears streaming down her cheeks. When she caught sight of her babies, she _lost it_. She stumbled over to them, and Lucy and Juvia handed them over, solemn smiles on their faces at the weeping mother. As she held them close, a panting Gajeel and Pantherlily appeared. Gajeel seemed unsurprised at his fiancée's outburst and came to greet his children with her.

Mira came from behind the bar with a box of tissues. Gajeel took Shutora in his arms, pressing a kiss to her small forehead. He inhaled, having missed the scent of his children, even if it was only for 24 hours. Being a dragon slayer, the scent of those he loved was important to him. Mira handed Levy a tissue, who wiped her tears before blowing into it.

"I'm sorry for making such a huge fuss," she started, being interrupted by a sniffle. "I just missed them so much!" Nearby, Lily bit into a kiwi, massaging his temple with his other hand. She had probably cried for the entirety of their mission. He knew she couldn't help it, though. To think, they had only been around for seven months, and already had their parents wrapped around their little fingers.

Watching as Gajeel and Levy reunited with their children, Lucy dreamed of when she would have one of her own. When she learned that Levy was with child, she realized that they were becoming adults. They were setting the stage for the rest of their lives. She further noticed all the couples in the guild starting to settle down. She had never imagined Gajeel and Levy to get this far in their relationship in so little time, and especially not Gray and Juvia. Lucy assumed Gray would've held out on that for much longer. But thankfully, to Juvia's advantage, he was ready to love and to be loved. Even Cana had made advances towards her future, occasionally, she would claim that she was "going out" to see if any bars in the area had any better liquor, (she was sure Makarov was hiding the older wine in his office) but everyone knew it was just a coverup to go meet up with Bacchus.

Whenever she imagined kids of her own in the past, she never really thought of who their father would be. But recently, it had been Natsu. She had a feeling that her fantasy yesterday was only the beginning. But was she opposed to him being the father of her children? No doubt he wouldn't make a good father. (But she also had a feeling that no matter the gender, their child would probably be raised to beat up Gray and Juvia's offspring.)

Imagining Natsu as a father made her stomach do flips. She could see him now, gently cradling a pink-haired baby, wrapped up in his scarf. Judging on the way he cared for his friends, the love and care he would possess for his child would be astronomical. The unmistakable flush creeping up on her cheeks could not hide these feelings about the fire dragon slayer.

_"Oh God, I need to talk to Levy!"_

Meanwhile, a grumpy Natsu was reluctantly hanging the job Lucy had shot down back up on the board when he was socked from behind by an iron club.

"Been a while since we've rumbled, bolts-for-brains," Natsu commented, a grin on his face as he turned around and got into his fighting stance. "I thought having kids had made you go soft."

"Believe me, salamander, as much as I wanna tear you to pieces right now I ain't gonna. Levy's worried that I'll make the twins 'violent'" he mocked, using air quotes, obviously unhappy with Levy's rule. "I wanna see if you've made any moves on blondie. Gray an' I got a bet on you."

"What the hell? It ain't yours or popsicle's business," Natsu snarled, sending a punch in Gajeel's face, who dodged, opting to not retaliate. "Not that there's any business to tell," he added quietly under his breath.

"Gihee, I knew it. Gray! You owe me 2,000 jewel!" Gajeel shouted across the guild to Gray at the bar. He responded with a snarl.

"Are you kiddin' me?" he yelled back, stomping over to where the two men stood. "Dude, have you seriously not made a move since our chat?" he snapped quietly, making sure Lucy couldn't hear them, who was sitting with Levy at a nearby table.

 _"I'm trying!"_ Natsu seethed between his teeth. "I brought her breakfast yesterday, I hold her hand a lot, give her hugs, what else am I supposed to do? Slap her on the ass?"

Gray and Gajeel shrugged. "It's not a bad idea..." Gray started.

 _"Are you boys clueless?"_ a voice scolded before all three boys were whacked on the head with a rolled-up copy of Sorcerer Weekly. When they recovered, they looked in disbelief at Mirajane, hands on her hips and _fuming_. "Natsu, you have to be obvious about it. She probably thinks you're oblivious to that sort of thing, and that you're just being friendly."

"That's a fancy way of saying Lucy thinks you're stupid," Gray snickered, being silenced when Mira stepped on his naked foot with her heel.

She pulled a piece of paper out of her dress pocket. "Here, this is a coupon to an ice cream stand a few blocks away. Take Lucy."

"Like a date?"

"A date. Typically, the guy pays on the first date, but you can use the coupon as an excuse this time."

"But what am I supposed to do? Act like Loke?"

" _No!_ " Gray, Gajeel, and Mira all yelled simultaneously, attracting the attention of a few other guild members.

"Just be yourself, dude. That's what she wants," Gray said, stripping out of his shirt unconsciously. Mira nodded.

"But she likes that prince charming bullshit. Should I do that?" Natsu questioned, clueless. He wanted Lucy to get that he wanted more, but he also didn't want to endanger their friendship. Why was this so hard?

"I'm assuming that by 'prince charming bull', (Mira wasn't one to cuss,) you mean romantic gestures. And sure, every girl likes stuff like that. It makes us feel appreciated. Actions speak louder than words," Mira expressed.

"You'll know what to do," Gajeel said, turning him around forcefully, and giving him a push to Lucy's direction.

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu called, putting his hands in his pockets so she wouldn't see his nervous, shaky hands. Lucy jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Natsu! Don't just sneak up on people like that!" she sputtered, looking to Levy who had a cheeky smirk on her lips, patting one of the twins on the back to burp them.

"Sorry. Listen, do you wanna go get some ice cream? I've got a coupon and I thought you'd wanna share it with me," he asked, repeating what he had rehearsed in his head over and over on the walk over to her.

Lucy's mind was running a thousand miles a minute. " _Is he asking me on a date?!"_ She was snapped out of her stupor when she was kicked in the shin under the table. Looking at the mother across the table in astoundment, Levy motioned her head towards Natsu, who was still waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, sure! That sounds nice," Lucy finally responded, smiling when a wide grin spread across his face, happy with her answer.

"All right! Let's go!" Natsu beamed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of her seat. As they neared the doors, he still hadn't let go of her hand. Natsu then stopped abruptly, confusing Lucy. He turned his head over his shoulder. "Hey, Happy! Let's go get some ice cream!" he called, and the blue feline immediately flew over to them.

All thoughts of a possible date Lucy was brewing in her head shattered.

"Aye, sir!" he chirped, flying ahead of them.

Lucy's shoulders drooped, and let out a sigh. _"What was I expecting,"_ she thought. _"Oh well."_

When they exited, the rest of the guild stared at the doors, dumbfounded.

"Are you kidding me?" Gray yelled out in disbelief. Mira rubbed her temples, returning behind the bar, trying to tune out the rest of the guild's

disappointed remarks.

"What happened?" Laxus asked as he sat down at the bar, having just exited the bathroom, noting Mira's troubled demeanor.

"Natsu's dense," she muttered, taking out her agitation by shaking up a drink.

"What's new?"

"It's not. I just thought today would be different. Never knew some boys could be so clueless."

"Whaddya' mean?"

"Well, for starters," she started, handing Laxus his drink, and letting him take it from her hand, but allowing her fingers to linger on the glass a bit longer than she should've, their fingers grazing through the trade. "Most of them can't take a hint," she shot, sharply turning around and leaving for the kitchen, painfully aware of Laxus's lingering, confused eyes on her swaying hips.

* * *

While Lucy was still disappointed that Natsu had invited Happy, she couldn't deny that she was excited about getting ice cream. Still hand-in-hand, Natsu and Lucy approached the ice cream vendor, who was currently reading an edition of Sorcerer Weekly.

"Ed's Creamery, how may I assist you," the worker said in a monotone voice, before looking up from her magazine and her eyes going as wide as saucers. "Oh my God! You guys just got married!" she squealed. A groan came from the back of Lucy's throat. All she wanted was some ice cream.

Knowing Lucy was uncomfortable, Natsu opted to ignore her. "I've got a coupon for some free ice cream. How many cones does this get me?" he asked, sliding the coupon across the counter to the worker.

"Let me check," she began, scanning the card number. "Zero. Sorry, Mr. Dragneel, but this card has expired."

"Are you kiddin' me? I'm sorry Luce, I didn't-"

" _But_ , I will give you three cones on the house if I get to witness a public display of affection from the Dragneels!" she squealed, looking to the pair expectantly.

"By public display of affection, do you mean..." Lucy asked, worried that she didn't mean what she thought she meant.

"A smooch! Lay one on her, Natsu! Wait, hold on, let me get my camera!" she rambled, diving under the counter.

"This is even better than ice cream!" Happy cheered, flying above them to get a good view.

"Are you sure Mira doesn't have any other siblings?" Lucy sweat-dropped. Maybe a kiss was what she needed to sort out her feelings for Natsu. But it just seemed so forced! Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her a bit closer to him, ensuring that she couldn't grab Happy this time.

"It ain't gonna kill us, right?" he repeated, looking deep into Lucy's eyes.

"I guess..." Lucy trailed off, looking down at her feet, noticing her shaky legs. This was about to be her first kiss that she had been dreaming about!

He took a hand from her shoulders and brought it under her chin to look at him. She looked like she always did, beautiful. Except her eyes were filled with uncertainty. He knew her. She had probably fantasized about her first kiss since she was a little girl. This wasn't right. It shouldn't happen this way.

As Lucy leaned closer, she could feel his breath fanning across her face. This was the closest their faces had ever been. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the touch of their lips.

"No," Natsu said quietly. She was afraid. He didn't want to do anything she was uncomfortable with, even though it would've made his heart soar. He backed away, and when her eyes fluttered open, he didn't see uncertainty, but hurt. He brought one of his hands down her arm from her shoulder in a gentle caress, using his other hand to fish inside of his pocket for his wallet. "A guy always pays on a date, right?" he said with a smile.

"Aww man," both the cashier and Happy whined, but Lucy's mind blocked it out, her face paling in realization before turning a deep scarlet.

 _"Oh!"_ her mind cried out. She bit her lip in an attempt to contain her smile but was unsuccessful. When Natsu handed over the money and gave their orders, (he obviously knew his best friends' favorite flavors) Lucy hugged his arm.

"What is it?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect that," she said softly, tracing small circles on his arm affectionately.

"You're a weirdo, Luce," he commented, and for once, Lucy was okay with her nickname, deciding that nothing could ruin this moment.

That was, until, Natsu gave her a slap on the rear.

* * *

They decided to eat their ice cream on the walk to Lucy's apartment. Miraculously, Happy still wasn't done with his when they walked through her door. Natsu sported a red handprint on his left cheek.

"You better not drip any of that on my floor, cat," Lucy warned, crouching beside her bed and pulling out her Heart Kreuz suitcase before going over to her dresser to pick out outfits. Natsu collapsed onto the couch with a bag of chips.

"Watcha' doin'?" he asked, a mouth full of chips, crumbs going everywhere at his vocalization.

"Packing for Crocus. I like to look my best when I go to the Capital," she responded, holding up clothes in front of her, deciding what she would pair with what. Thankfully, she was too wrapped up in her clothes that she hadn't noticed the mess Natsu had made with the chips, and he was now frantically sweeping them under the couch.

"That must be why you're picking out your skimpiest outfits," Happy giggled, finishing up his cone. Surprisingly, Ed's creamery had salmon flavored ice cream.

"There's nothing wrong with showing a bit of skin," Lucy demurred, folding her clothes as she placed them in her suitcase.

"I don't like givin' perverts a reason to stare at you," Natsu growled. He felt a strange sense of possessiveness when it came to Lucy. He wouldn't think twice before burning those kinds of creeps to a crisp.

"I should be able to wear what I want without being stared at, it's just common human decency. People should know how to behave themselves. I wear what I want." Lucy ranted, having very strong opinions on the subject. There were creeps even when girls wore ankle-length dresses! "Besides, why do you care? It's not like there's much to stare at," Lucy added quietly.

Natsu laughed, and Lucy couldn't understand why. "Are you kiddin' me, Luce? You're a hot piece of ass!" Happy choked on a chip that Natsu had tossed to him. Lucy buried her face in her hands to conceal her blush.

"Don't say it so crudely!" she cried, but couldn't deny the small sense of satisfaction his comment had brought to her. "Don't you guys have to pack? We'll be staying overnight, so I'd pack at least two sets of clothes."

"Shoot, you're right. Let's go pack, little buddy," Natsu said, standing from his spot on the couch and rolling up the bag of chips before stuffing them into his vest. They were really good.

"Bye Lushi!" Happy called, flying towards Lucy's chest to hug her. While he got on her last nerve, she still loved the little cat, and they were good friends. He then zoomed out the door.

"Bye, Natsu!" Lucy called over her shoulder, holding skirts in one hand as she picked them out at her dresser. She dropped them when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, tugging her into Natsu's warm body.

"Bye," he whispered, pressing a kiss to an open patch of skin on her neck before releasing her and walking out the door, pleased when he heard her slide down to the floor in disbelief. "How's that for a romantic gesture, huh?" Natsu said to himself, a cheeky grin appearing on his face.

* * *

After finishing packing everything she needed for their trip to Crocus, she took a long bath and did her night routine. When she exited the bathroom, she expected to see the dragon slayer and his cat asleep on her bed, surprised to find it vacant, her drapes fluttering in the wind let in from the open window that she had left open for them.

"Finally! A night all to myself!" she whooped, dressing in her favorite pajamas to celebrate before slipping into her sheets. She sunk into her pillow, a happy sigh passing through her lips. Lucy lied there, waiting for sleep to take her.

10 minutes pass. She turned, attempting to get comfortable.

Another 10 minutes.

20.

Her tosses and turns hadn't ceased throughout, unable to get comfortable. Almost as if she was missing something. Or... Someone.

" _Damn him, he's spent the night so many times and now I can't sleep without him."_

Lucy groaned into her pillow. It was going to be a long night.

Somehow, Lucy had managed to fall asleep after relentless tossing and turning. When she finally pried her eyes open, she saw her suitcase sitting by the door where she had left it last night, but it wasn't alone. Natsu's backpack sat crumpled next to it like he had left it there hastily in a hurry. That could only mean-

Her realization was interrupted when Natsu shifted behind her. His arms weren't on her waist this morning, but his hand gripped hers under the sheets. While it may not be as intimate, it meant so much more. She turned over to look at him.

His solemn look made her unable to help but brush his bangs back. He was always adorable in the mornings. Undeniably handsome. Sweet. Kind. Caring. Devoted. Brave. _Hot._

Natsu wasn't like the Prince Charming she had dreamed of all her life. Not in the slightest. But the fact that he wasn't at all what she had been looking for made him even more desirable. She couldn't banish her feelings for him from her heart any longer. Thinking back to all they had been through, she couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone other than him. Going through the dangerous life they had suffered placed a bond on their hearts. And knowing that he had shaped her life into what it was now on that fateful day in Hargeon made him special.

She couldn't think of him as only her best friend anymore.

Lucy brushed his bangs back, a content smile on her face when she felt his soft locks.

"Natsu~" she cooed, giggling when he grumbled and buried his head in her neck. He had her like putty in the palm of his hand.

"Natsu... C'mon, you gotta wake up. We have to catch the train soon," she whispered. He reluctantly opened his eyes, and a sleepy grin graced his lips. She hadn't given him a 'Lucy Kick' again. He yawned, backing away from her a bit to stretch his arms before bringing them back down to rest around her torso.

"What's your excuse today?" he asked, watching the pink flush appear on her cheeks. She smiled.

"I don't have one."


	8. Prince Charming

Despite her peaceful awakening that morning, Lucy was about to carve out her brain with a spoon.

Natsu and Happy could _not_ stop whining about how they hadn't gotten any breakfast. They lounged in her bed longer than they should have and had to rush to the train station without eating beforehand. Lucy angrily dug into her purse and pulled out a granola bar before shoving it in front of Natsu.

"Here. Sustenance," she huffed, trying to relax in the uncomfortable bench they had plopped down in. Ironically, the train was running late. Natsu eyed the offering warily before turning it down.

" _Luuucyyy!_ I want REAL food, not some ground up crackers!" he complained, hunching over and wrapping his arms around his middle. She swiped it back from him and angrily tore it open to eat herself. She split it in half and offered the other part to Happy, who reluctantly accepted.

"If you would've gotten out of bed earlier, we could've had some," she grumbled, taking a bite. Delightfully crunchy, but she could tell it was a bit old. Not bad.

Natsu immediately spun in his seat to face her. "Uhn uh! I wasn't the only one who was in bed, so don't even _try_ to point the finger at me! Besides, why would I get up when you're not kicking and screaming when you wake up?" he defended, making Lucy blush at the implication of his words, playing with the hem of her skirt.

This morning, she had finally realized her crush on her partner. Even with her newfound realization, she thought she would've felt different. As if recognizing her feelings would've changed anything. It definitely seemed that he may like her back, but at the same time, Lucy wasn't sure that he knew the implications of his actions. The last thing she would want to do is ruin the truest friendship she had ever had.

Swallowing her granola bar along with her doubtful thoughts, she turned to Natsu, who was expecting some sort of retaliation, and she had none. He was right, what had happened this morning wasn't just his fault.

"You know, the granola bar wasn't that bad. Happy might give you a piece of his half if he's feeling nice," she answered, deciding to shut down a possible argument about the whole late thing.

"Sorry, I spat it out. It wasn't good at all," Happy said from over their heads, and Lucy made sure to avert her eyes from his pile of granola.

"Don't worry buddy, I wouldn't have asked for it anyway. I'll eat just about anything, but those things are _nasty,"_ Natsu affirmed.

Happy giggled as he sat himself down on Lucy's lap. "You know, the word 'nasty' sounds a bit like 'Natsu,'" he snickered, purring when Lucy reached down to pet him, covering her mouth to disguise her snickers with the other.

"Are you laughing, Lucy?!" Natsu exclaimed. Lucy wasn't one to normally laugh at Happy's jokes.

"It was funny," she said, shrugging her shoulders. The train finally pulled onto their platform, and Lucy stood and dusted some of Happy's fur off her skirt. (He always denied that he shed as if the blue fur around her apartment wasn't enough evidence) "Let's go, you big baby," she said, Natsu unwillingly standing before trudging to the motion-sickness-express.

Once seated and waiting for the train to leave, Natsu's face was already starting to pale at the thought of the long ride. Lucy's features softened at his pained expression. She grabbed a book out of her purse to read, sitting it beside her before patting her legs in invitation.

"I know this helps... I'm sorry we didn't get to eat any breakfast. I'll treat you to your fire kabobs when we get there," she smiled, blushing when he immediately flopped into her lap and exhaled in satisfaction, Happy giggling from his seat across from them.

He groaned when the train lurched forward, burying his cheek deeper into her thighs. Lucy put one hand in his hair, brushing through his locks in hopes of giving him some relief. With the other she opened up to the last page she was on in her book. Currently, prince charming was taking his lady through a walk through a garden after saving her from the evil wizard's clutches.

While the damsel in distress cliche was so overused and demeaning, she was a sucker for it. She read lots of fairy tales growing up, and always dreamed of her own knight-in-shining-armor. She always had envisioned him as a book lover, smart, and calm. The man currently resting on her lap was the _complete_ opposite. But none of what she had wanted, before, mattered anymore.

Because Natsu was _so_ much more than that.

Natsu _definitely_ had some non-admirable qualities, but who doesn't? Hi\s may be more... apparent... But all the other stuff about him trumps that. He was caring, kind, compassionate, driven, selfless, and cared about his friends more than anything in the world. He really was her knight-in-shining-armor, he had saved her way too many times than she could count. He was always there.

Natsu was her prince charming.

Sure, the packaging was a bit different, but Lucy was sure that it was him she was supposed to be with.

Figuring out their relationship would be a risky game.

But she had to try.

Lucy set down her book and instead focused her attention on soothing the motion-sick dragon-slayer, humming the lullaby he enjoyed two nights ago.

"Doing okay?" she asked quietly. He brought a hand to his mouth, his nausea kicking in. His body racked and Lucy could tell he was gagging.

Oh God, prince charming was about to blow chunks on her shoes.

* * *

After a painfully long train ride for the both of them, Natsu desperately wanted off the vehicle and ran down the train and out of it.

Lucy and Happy had fallen behind, Lucy scrambling to gather all of her stuff out of their compartment. They needed to catch up with Natsu, and fast. Once, he had run so far away it took Team Natsu 30 minutes to find him, who was harassing a churro vendor for a treat.

When they breathlessly made it out of the train, Lucy froze, right next to Natsu, who was in a similar state.

They were _surrounded_ by paparazzi.

"Lucy, Lucy, over here!"

"Look this way!"

Lucy had to cover her eyes to not be blinded by the multitude of bright flashes by cameras. Microphones were shoved in their faces, asking a variety of questions.

Lucy knew they were popular, but not _this_ popular.

"Why did you get married in secret?"

"Mrs. Dragneel, are you pregnant?"

"Natsu, look right here!"

Lucy couldn't be more embarrassed. She totally forgot that Crocus had seen the magazine, too. She looked to Natsu but was dumbfounded to see him _posing_ and _waving_ to the cameras. Happy was doing the same, flexing his nonexistent muscles. She tightly gripped Natsu's arm to show her distress, and once he noticed her discomfort he swiftly shuffled them through the sea of people, away from their entourage and outside the train station and nearer to the bustling city

"I hope Gajeel and Levy don't visit Crocus soon, those poor babies will probably go blind," Lucy breathed, catching her breath from their paparazzi escape.

"What the hell did they throw on us?" Natsu said, picking rice bits out of his hair. Lucy huffed in frustration, realizing there was uncooked rice in her own hair as well.

"Rice. It's typically thrown at weddings. Hilarious."

"Can we go get food now?" Happy whined from above. Natsu immediately brightened.

"I'll race ya'!" he challenged before getting in a pre-running stance. Just before he took off, Lucy grabbed him by his scarf.

"No way are you two leaving me alone. The Crocus streets are full of people, and I don't wanna get lost. I'd honestly rather go and drop off our luggage at our hotel first, but I promised you guys kabobs when we got here. Just don't run off without me, okay? Especially with the paparazzi..." Lucy rambled shyly, not wanting to get separated from Natsu and suddenly ambushed by paparazzi with no way to escape.

Natsu looked down at her before reaching for her hand and interlacing their fingers. Her whole body felt engulfed in flames at the familiar touch of his hand. That, and first getting into a warm bathtub were her favorite feelings.

"You got it. Just don't walk slow, I'm starving." She nodded, grabbing her suitcase with her other hand.

And off they went, in search of the fiery kabob treats!

* * *

They had forgotten how long it had been since they'd been in Crocus, so locating Natsu's favorite food stand was more difficult than expected. Nevertheless, they managed to find it. Natsu spotted it first, and completely ignored Lucy's "stick together" rule and made a mad dash towards it with Happy not far behind him.

"Hey, kabob dude! Gimme the biggest thing you got!" he requested, eagerly leaning on the counter between him and "kabob dude" with a wide smile on his face. "Ooh, can I fire em' up myself?!" he added before happily running inside the small booth once he gained a slight nod from the cook. The cook pointed in the corner of the booth and made Natsu do something before placing his hands on the meat. Hopefully, to wash his hands. There was no telling the last time he washed them.

"I'll have a fish kabob! But don't toast it, please!" Happy yelled, eyes widening when Natsu produced a large flame, getting close to scorching his raw fish. " _NATSU! NO!"_

Lucy finally caught up, panting as she had to run with all of their bags and through the tight crowds. When she caught sight of Natsu inside the booth, she couldn't help but laugh.

It seemed that if Natsu were to cook his own food, he was to wear a hairnet. The loose threads could barely keep his spiky mane down, but somehow the small hairnet did its job. His ears perked up once they caught snorts coming from outside the booth, and the tips of them turned red once he spotted Lucy laughing at him. She quickly pulled out her communication lacrima to take a picture, but he had turned away from her in shame once she was able to get it out.

After successfully _charing_ his kabob, Natsu and Happy found a bench for them to sit at while Lucy waited for the cook to make hers. (She didn't trust him to not burn hers.)

"Let's see if this is as good as I remember it," Lucy stated as she sat down, Happy in the middle and her and Natsu on opposite sides. "Why haven't you eaten yours yet?"

"I was waitin' for you, weirdo. I never realized how slow you were until now."

Ignoring the slight jab, Lucy asked, "Why would you wait?"

"Because I wanted to! Now shut up, I might eat this bench if I have to wait any longer," he barked back before taking a big bite of meat off of his stick. His eyes rolled into the back of his head in pleasure, a happy groan coming from the back of his throat. "This dude needs to move to Magnolia."

Lucy's reaction to the food was similar, she was hesitant to swallow because she didn't want to eat it too fast. Happy didn't feel the same, he was currently licking his stick that was bare of any fish. Lucy didn't think he had waited like Natsu.

"Thank you for payin'. I guess that's one pro of having a wife to feed you," Natsu chuckled, opening his mouth to take another bite out of his kabob, but what interrupted when he was beaten on the arm with a purse. More specifically, Lucy's bulky purse that she hadn't cleaned out in weeks.

"A wife isn't only there to serve her husband. "While the term 'housewife' was common when I grew up, I will be anything but. You can get your own damn food next time," Lucy exploded. She was practically spoon-fed skills growing up that was needed to spend the rest of her life being seen and not heard, and she had no intention of going back to that. She stood up angrily to eat her food elsewhere, but Natsu grabbed her arm and forced her back down into her seat.

"Sorry... It's just with the way Macao and Wakaba used to talk about their wives at the guild when I was younger kinda made me think that's what things were supposed be like if I ever got married," Natsu spoke sheepishly, not wanting Lucy to feel like she was some kind of servant. _"It's not like we act like husband and wife, anyway,"_ he thought to himself.

Lucy sighed and gripped his hand that was still on her arm. "It's okay, I shouldn't have overreacted. It's just...I was taught that marriage was more of a business deal than love, and that you didn't need it. Thank goodness for literature and romance novels, now I know it's much more. I have strong feelings on the subject, I guess..." she trailed off, sinking deeper into her seat after placing her purse back onto her suitcase.

"Yeah..." Natsu knew all about how interested Lucy was in her romance novels. The stupid sappy ones where the guy is all poetic and shit. He knew he wasn't her dream guy. He didn't act like the guys in her novels. Sure, he could ask for help from the guild like yesterday, but he also didn't want to ask for help all the time and pretend to be someone he was not. So yeah. It was one of his deterrents to confessing.

They ate in silence for a moment, until the large crowd split and revealed a skinny man running through the city. To their horror, he swiped Lucy's purse as he ran past, and she shot up like a rocket preparing to go after him. Natsu groaned and passed his unfinished kabob over to Lucy.

"Let me get him, Luce. This is the closest to a job I've had in weeks!" he beamed, doing a quick stretch in the middle of the street, flames already licking in anticipation at his lips.

"Well then hurry and go after him!" Lucy screeched, confused about why he was standing there, and letting the thief run away. Natsu smirked.

"Trust me, he's gonna need a headstart _,_ " he answered, waiting a few more seconds before bolting the direction of the thief.

"Go get him, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

Thanks to Natsu's head start, the guy had run pretty far, even able to pass through the large sea of people due to his slender build. Although, Natsu knew better than to run through the crowd.

"Scuse' me!" he yelled, propelling himself upward with flames and landing on top of a vegetable stand. Ignoring the owner's complaints, he jumped from stand to stand, chasing after the thug with adrenaline coursing through his veins. Finally nearing the thief, he sped up to be a few steps ahead of him, before pouncing on him from above. He let out a girlish scream as Natsu grabbed him by his shirt and began walking back to Lucy and Happy.

"Dude, just lemme' go! All this for a purse? Here, here, have it back!" he whimpered, a sweat drop rolling down the side of his face. Natsu said nothing.

When Lucy and Happy were finally in eyesight, he was satisfied once he saw Lucy's eyes light up at his return and knowing he was able to successfully retrieve her purse. Dropping the thug in the middle of the street, Natsu ripped the bag from his hands before placing his foot atop his chest and leaning down closer to his face. He grabbed the side of his head and forcefully jerked it to face Lucy.

"Apologize to her," he commanded, applying more pressure to his chest to get him to crack and do as he said.

"I'm very sorry ma'am! Very sorry!" he quickly apologized, looking back up at Natsu for mercy. "Lemme' go now!" Natsu stared at him for a moment.

Natsu released his chest from its hold from his foot but grabbed the thief by the collar of his shirt before running away. He quickly produced a flame that caught on the thief's clothes but controlled it enough so it wouldn't burn the man's skin. That wasn't his intended target.

Satisfied with his work, Natsu cheekily threw him into the crowd, and to the thief's horror, he was _completely_ nude.

Natsu cackled in amusement, watching as the man froze in the middle of the street, many women covering their children's eyes, a few passerbys laughing at the sight. He quickly covered himself, before dashing into an alley to hide.

Natsu turned to face Lucy and Happy, and to his delight, they were laughing just as he was, Happy rolling on the road in tears, and Lucy bent over, holding her torso as she giggled. With a grin, he walked back over to his best friends and grabbed his kabob back from Lucy, taking a big bite in victory and placing her purse into her now empty hand.

"My keys weren't in there, you know. Most of what's in here can be replaced. Did you have to go that far?" Lucy asked with a smile, clutching her returned purse in her arms.

Natsu nodded. "He deserved it! It doesn't matter what was in there, what matters is that it was yours."

Lucy shook her head in amusement, still adorning a wide smile. For once, she was glad he had made a scene.

"Fro thinks so too!"

All three of their heads turned towards the small voice that piped in.

"Hey, Frosch!" Happy greeted, tail swishing back in forth in glee as he ran up to his friend, who stood next to their bench. Frosch wore a familiar wide smile on his face, but his presence seemed odd. He was alone.

"Hey there, Frosch! It's nice to see ya', pal!" Natsu said as he crouched down to be level with the exceed. Lucy followed suit.

"Is Rogue around? It doesn't seem like you two would go too far away from each other," Lucy asked.

Frosch blanked. "Uh... I dunno' where he went..." he trailed off, looking around for his shadow dragon-slayer.

"Don't worry buddy, we'll help you find him! Just let me finish my kabob-" Natsu said before nibbling off the last piece of meat on his stick.

"Frosch! What's sabertooth been like, anything new?" Happy questioned eagerly, enthusiastic to catch up with his friend.

"Well... I'm not really supposed to say-" Frosch started, but was interrupted by gurgling sounds coming from Natsu.

"Oh my God, Natsu, stop choking on the stick!"

"Garhg!"

"Natsu, there is _nothing left_ but wood, you cannot eat it!"

"Arucgh!"

"Did you just try and BITE me? Spit the damn thing out, you're going to choke even more!"

"Frosch?!" There you are!" exclaimed Rogue as he ran towards the frog-dressing exceed.

"Rogue!" Frosch called, springing up into Rogue's arms. "Sorry I got lost..."

"It's okay, Frosch. The streets are always crowded and it's easy to get lost. Hello, Happy, Lucy, and... Natsu?" Rogue asked, watching puzzledly as Lucy attempted to rip Natsu's kabob stick out of his throat. After a few attempts, Natsu finally released it and Lucy smacked him with it.

Natsu coughed before speaking. "Hey, Rogue! How are you and everyone at Sabertooth doing?"

Rogue nods with a smile. "We're pretty good... You should come and see for yourself. Would you guys care to pay Sabertooth a visit?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed, jumping to his wings in excitement.

"For sure! Me and Sting may have to throw down! I haven't seen him in a while," Natsu says while grinning mischievously, cracking his knuckles.

"Sting and _I,_ Natsu. I'd love to! I can't wait to see Yukino and catch up! Ooh, I wonder if she's gotten any new keys!" Lucy says, unconsciously rubbing her thumb over Aquarius's stump that still hung with the rest of her keys.

"Well, we better get a move on, It's getting to be a bit later in the afternoon and that's when the streets really start to cramp up," Rogue said, lowering Frosch to the ground. "Frosch, can you take us there?" he asked, flashing him an encouraging smile.

"Frosch will try!"

"Alright, lead the way! I'm all fired up!" Natsu recited, a pep in his step as he and his friends followed the small cat and dragon-slayer to Sabertooth.

"Rogue?" Frosch asked in a low voice.

"Yes, Frosch?"

"Why was Natsu trying to eat a stick?"

"I don't know, Fro, I don't know."

* * *

While the ambiance of Sabertooth wasn't as _near_ as rowdy as Fairy Tail's, it was still quite a sight.

Minerva sat at a table eating some toast in one hand, the other grasping the hand of a burly man. It seemed that they were playing-

"YOWCH!" screamed the man when his hand was slammed onto the table, face red and sweaty while the intense arm-wrestle didn't seem to affect Minerva at all. Taking the last bite out of her toast, she swallowed.

"Who's next?" she called, looking towards the long line of men behind the poor man cradling his injured hand. Lucy sweatdropped.

Lucy was able to spot a few more familiar faces, Rufus sat at a table studying a book, and Orga stood by a request board with another member. She also spotted Sorano painting her nails but was unable to locate Yukino or Sting.

"I'm pretty sure you guys already ate, but today is buffet day, if you guys want-," Rogue informed, but was unable to finish because Natsu and Happy had already sped over to the buffet set up a few meters away.

Rogue chuckled. "Is that _really_ your husband?"

Lucy sighed. "Unfortunately. It's a long story, hopefully, you'll be able to read it in the next edition of Sorcerer Weekly."

"Ah, is that why you guys are here? I assumed it was for work."

Lucy shook her head. "Not this time. Natsu doesn't like taking jobs this far out anyway, he hates the train ride."

Rogue grimaced. "I can understand why." Welding dragon-slayer magic was both a blessing and a curse.

"Lucy!"

Lucy turned her head with a smile to the direction the voice came from, embracing Yukino when she was close enough. "Oh my goodness, how are you? It feels like forever since we last saw you guys!"

"I know! The last time we came to visit is when the twins were born!" Yukino expressed, leaning back from their hug.

"I'm still surprised that Gajeel is the father. Those kids are too cute to have gotten anything from him," Sting piped in from behind Yukino, walking up next to her with a smile.

"Natsu has said the same thing... multiple times..." Lucy groaned, looking over to the fire dragon-slayer at the buffet stuffing his face. Happy wasn't much different. "Whenever he finishes eating all of your food I know he's excited to see you," Lucy smiled.

"C'mon, let's sit at a table!" Yukino said, pulling Lucy by the hand over to a nearby table. Lucy waved a hand at Natsu and Happy signaling to come over. Happy flew over immediately to chat with Lector and Frosch, but it took Natsu a minute. He was soon able to pry himself away from the buffet, but not without a plate stacked with an assortment of food. When he sat in the chair next to her, she was already at ease by his presence and the slight warmth he emanated wherever he went.

"How are Libra and Pisces?" Lucy questioned, tucking a napkin to the front of Natsu's vest to act as a bib, (even though Lucy knew it wouldn't help much.)

"Great! Have you had any success with finding... um..." Yukino asked warily, not wanting to strike a nerve. Lucy sighed and shook her head.

"Not yet... But I'm not giving up. I _will_ find her," Lucy affirmed. Yukino smiled.

"Good for you. And don't worry, I'm not looking for her, so don't worry about me poaching her or anything," she giggled, bringing her left hand to rest on her cheek, flashing something on a _very_ important finger. Lucy gasped, and Yukino looked at her in question before she realized her mistake. Natsu dropped his turkey leg in shock, the sound of bone hitting the plate clattering throughout Sabertooth.

She quickly reached across the table and placed a finger on Lucy's lips, shushing her.

"Did the paparazzi follow you guys?" Sting asked from next to Yukino in a low voice, eyeing Sabertooth's doors warily.

Natsu shook his head no. "We escaped those guys ages ago. They were nosy as hell."

Yukino nodded, releasing the finger from Lucy's lips. "Good. We figured they might follow you guys if you ever came to Crocus. Especially with that new story of yours..."

"Like you're one to talk!" Lucy retaliated, pointing an accusing finger at the couple. "Yukino... did you and Sting really... y'know..."

Sting smiled. "Mhm," he beamed, pressing a kiss to his wife's cheek.

Natsu cackled. "About damn time! Me and Happy caught you two makin' out behind the guild when you came to visit the twins!" Yukino smiled at her feet, and Sting couldn't keep the smug grin off his face. They weren't ashamed in the slightest.

"Yuck," Happy said nearby, unable to wipe the traumatizing memory that was engraved in his brain.

"Why weren't we invited?! I can't believe I didn't get to see you guys tie the knot!" Lucy cried, saddened that she wasn't invited to one of her closest friends' wedding. And no one else from Fairy Tail had been invited either! "Oh God, is it because of Natsu? I could've made him behave-"

Natsu frowned. "It's not like I'm a _dog!"_

Yukino shook her head rapidly. "Oh goodness no! Trust me, Sting and I both really wanted to invite you guys. It was a really small wedding. No one outside of Sabertooth knows about it."

"To put it simply, we didn't want Sorcerer Weekly to find out about it," Sting piped in, running his thumb across the back of Yukino's hand that he had encased in his. Lucy couldn't help but observe Yukino's wedding ring. She wasn't sure how she hadn't seen it until now, it was _huge_. As if they took it right out of the mine it was found in. It glittered brilliantly in the light, and it seemed to fit her finger just right.

"You two can understand what we're talking about. We didn't want our marriage to be broadcasted all over the country. No offense to you guys, though," Yukino added. Lucy definitely understood. Her life was currently a complete mess trying to fix everything with Sorcerer Weekly, and she couldn't imagine the publicity Sting and Yukino's marriage would get. Sting already has enough to deal with being the guild master, and being ambushed by fangirls and paparazzi would be the icing on top of the cake.

"We just want to be happy with the fact that we're married, and not have to worry about interviews, photographers, and all that stuff. We'll let more people know when we're ready," Sting said with a smile, nuzzling his nose into the side of Yukino's face, who in return giggled at the affection.

"I'm happy for you guys," Natsu finally spoke up, having been silent throughout most of this conversation. He reached his fist across the table to fist bump with Sting. "Congrats, man." Sting happily bumped back, glad to have his friend's approval.

"Me too! I just wish I could've been there..." Lucy trailed off, but her disappointment didn't last long when Yukino got up from the table momentarily and returned with a photo album.

"Don't worry, we took pictures!" Yukino bubbled, sliding the album across the table to Lucy's hands.

As Lucy and Yukino babbled about the wedding, Natsu couldn't distract himself from Sting and Yukino's body language. ( _Yes, he pays attention!_ ) They couldn't keep their hands off each other. Although, it wasn't overly showy. It could be the slight brush of their shoulders, or Yukino relaxing into his side, but they all gave the same message.

They were completely and utterly in love.

They were at ease with each other, so comfortable and relaxed with the other's presence. Natsu could tell their marriage had brought such happiness in their lives, even if it was just simply a legal agreement. But it meant so much more than that. It was a promise.

This was what marriage was supposed to be.

Natsu smiled as he continued to observe the newlyweds, while his hand found Lucy's under the table. His smile grew even wider when he heard her breath hitch as their fingers intertwined. He gave her hand a light squeeze, which Lucy quickly returned. He curiously stared at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to note any kind of reaction on her facial features. His grin never faded as he studied the flush on her cheeks.

As dense as he was, he knew she was staring at him, too.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't have a Lucy Heartfilia in your records?!" Lucy cried, leaning over the counter separating her and the hotel clerk.

A few hours after going through Sting and Yukino's wedding pictures and catching up, (as well as trying to keep Natsu from starting a fight in Sabertooth's very orderly guild hall) Natsu and Lucy had left Sabertooth and off to their hotel. Happy decided to have a sleepover with Lector and Frosch. Lector had his own little house now, opting to give Sting and Yukino their privacy, (and save his ears from hearing any of their passionate love-making). They were now _trying_ to check-in.

"Ma'am, you didn't let me finish," the clerk responded, "I don't have a Lucy Heartfilia on file, but I _do_ have a Lucy Dragneel."

"Damn you, Jason..." Lucy growled under her breath. Jason was the one to make their reservation, she should've expected something like this, especially after their encounter with the paparazzi. Jason had connections _all_ over the capital.

"Yes... That's me," she huffed reluctantly, signing the forms needed and angrily swiping their room key from the manager. Room 7 on the 7th floor, the top floor.

Luckily, the elevator was enchanted with an anti-motion sickness charm, so Natsu was able to ride it with no problem. And thank goodness, because Lucy really wasn't looking to climb up seven flights of stairs. Waiting in the elevator was pure torture, the elevator music combined with an agonizingly loud silence.

Natsu suddenly bumped the side of his hip to hers, making her stumble unexpectedly. "Y'know, Lucy Dragneel has a nice ring to it," he snickered, Lucy responding by bumping back harder, smirking when the mighty dragon-slayer fell to the floor. She was too tired for his antics. Jason had better have gotten them the nicest suite in the place. One preferably with a large bathtub.

But soon, Lucy regretted her earlier wishes.

Jason had booked them the _Honeymoon Suite._

They were greeted with low jazz music and dimmed lights. In the middle of the room laid a king-sized bed, an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and two glasses sitting on top of it. Lucy couldn't see the bathroom from her viewpoint in the threshold between the room and the hallway, but she was willing to bet a month's worth of rent that there was a double shower and jacuzzi-style bathtub. Something like that. The room was practically _asking_ for sex. Thank goodness Happy wasn't there, he never would've let them live it down.

Natsu raced over to the large bed and grabbed the bucket, and ran into the kitchen.

"What on Earthland are you doing? Do you think we're drinking that?"

"Hell no. I'm hiding this from you." Lucy scoffed, ignoring him and placed her bags on a table next to the kitchenette adorned with snacks. Lucy made a mental note to have Natsu eat them all, wanting to take full advantage that Jason was paying for their room.

After deciding he had taken care of the champagne, he walked back over to the bed and flopped down on it, muscles instantly relaxing as he sank into the plush fabric.

"Good thing there's a giant loveseat in the corner because that's where you're sleeping," Lucy asserted, unzipping her bags.

Natsu laughed, sitting up to look Lucy in the eye. "Luce', are you kiddin' me? The entire Team Natsu could fit on this bed. Besides, you and I both know that I'm gonna end up here anyway."

Lucy couldn't argue with that. "Whatever, I'm too tired to care. I'm taking a bath," she announced as she took out a pair of pajamas and entered the bathroom. True to her imagination, the bathroom was fit for a newlywed couple. Double-sinks, a double shower, and a bathtub that could probably fit _three_ people. She turned on the faucet to distract her thoughts from the current situation with the rushing water.

Feeling much more refreshed, Lucy practically swayed as she walked back into their room from the bathroom. Natsu had already gone to bed, but not without turning off the obnoxious music and turning off the lights completely. She turned on the bedside table lamp to see a bit better and was happy to see the kitchenette barren of the snacks that once were. She'd have to thank Natsu for that, later. Said dragon-slayer was already asleep under the covers. She stared at his adorable sleepy face that she had come to love.

" _Lucy Dragneel..."_ she pondered in her head. Grabbing the pen and paper that rested atop the nightstand, she looked over her shoulder to make sure Natsu was still asleep.

"𝓛𝓾𝓬𝔂 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓵," she wrote, testing out a new signature. Currently, The Adventures Of Iris had her signature in the back, and she was curious to what Lucy Dragneel might look like instead. She stared at it for a few seconds.

 _"He's right, it does look good..."_ she decided, brushing a finger delicately over the parchment where she had signed. She felt that Heartfilia suited her best, but her surname also carried her old life and labeled her as the spoiled princess of the Heartfilia Konzern. She wasn't seeking to change it, but she wasn't opposed to it whenever she got married in the future. And Dragneel seemed like the perfect fit. _"Oh my God, what am I doing?!"_

Lucy frantically crumpled the paper into a ball and opened up one of the drawers to throw it in.

_"EEEK!"_

To her horror, inside the drawer laid a pack of _condoms._ The loud smack of Lucy shutting it closed was enough to wake Natsu.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Natsu asked groggily, wiping his eyes from sleep. Startled and with wide eyes, Lucy acted fast, grabbing a large pillow from the bed.

"I didn't do anything goddamn it!" Natsu cried, begging for mercy as Lucy straddled him and whacked him repeatedly with the pillow, butterflies in her belly as she didn't fail to notice her position on top of him.

Later, after avoiding an uncomfortable situation, Lucy finally sank into bed. _"This will all be worth it after tomorrow."_

She was unamused when the phone rang, a lady asking them to keep it down because someone had filed a complaint about, "noisy love-making on the 7th floor."


	9. Surprise Photoshoot

Lucy shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair placed in the Sorcerer Weekly waiting room. You'd think that with all their proceeds they could afford comfier chairs.

They had arrived right on time, so Lucy had no idea why they had to wait. She yawned.

 _"I could've gotten more sleep,"_ she grumbled in her head. Her head was full throughout the night, pondering every aspect of her relationship with Natsu. Hell, she had analyzed most (if not all) of the moments between them from the past few weeks, debating on what could've been a sign of returned affection.

She had decided that the scene at the ice cream stand was definitely romantic. But at the same time, she wondered if Natsu just didn't want to kiss her, and forked up the money just so he wouldn't have to, or if he was just trying to let her know he considered their outing a date.

Everything between them made her head spin.

But even Lucy couldn't deny that their dynamic had changed to something way more than friends.

She shifted her tired eyes over to the dragon slayer, who was currently badgering the poor receptionist about the dragon on her shirt.

"Sir, I don't know who Igneel is, or if the design on my shirt is one of his relatives."

"Come on! Just tell me! You couldn't have gotten that shirt without knowing who is on it," Natsu pressed, leaning farther over the counter to stare at the woman's shirt. She gawked at him and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Natsu, stop staring down her shirt. Behave," Lucy ordered before snapping her fingers at the unoccupied chair next to hers.

"I feel like a dog sometimes," he huffed as he slumped into the chair.

"A very good dog," Lucy cooed in baby talk as she placed her hand atop his pink mop and ruffled it. With a small smile, he involuntarily leaned in her touch, thankful Happy wasn't present to poke at them.

Sabertooth had called earlier that morning to let them know Happy was going to hang out with them a bit more while Natsu and Lucy attended their interview. He had gone with Rogue and the other exceeds to fish at an enchanted river with the "best fishies," as Happy had put it.

Just as Natsu was about to get up and go play with the water cooler, a familiar catchphrase rang through their ears.

"COOOOL COOL COOL! Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail! Or even better, Lucy Dragneel! SO COOL!" Jason gushed, reaching out to eagerly shake both their hands.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Actually, that's why we're here, we aren't really-"

"Save it for the interview! I want to get your every word on pen and paper! Nice to see you, Natsu!" Jason says and continues to forcefully shake Natsu's hand. "I've got a whole buffet set up for you in the back! Follow me!" Jason quickly turned around, opening a door and beckoning for them to enter. Natsu didn't think twice, his mind set on getting to whatever was set up for him.

As they walked down the long hallway, Lucy was determined to debunk all that had happened to them on their trip so far. "Jason, we got ambushed by the paparazzi when we got here. Is that your doing?"

Jason clicked his tongue "Sorry, it must've somehow gotten leaked that you two would be visiting the Capital. You two are sooo popular!"

"What about our hotel reservations? The room you booked was a bit uh..."

"Dazzling, wasn't it? I had to get the best for my stars!" Jason jabbered. Lucy sighed, why did she even bother.

At the end of the hall, they were greeted with another door, which Jason opened to reveal a _huge_ studio. There must've been at least 50 people running around, setting up backdrops, and setting up cameras. To anyone else, it could've looked like chaos, but during the year Lucy had worked with Jason she was able to tell that it was actually very organized. Everyone had a job and knew their role. But what was it all for?

All Natsu could see was the buffet, and once he caught sight immediately dashed to it to make himself a plate, (if he even bothered with one.)

As Lucy still eyed her surroundings, scrutinizing every detail in wonder, she asked, "Um, Jason, what's this all for?"

A crew member quickly rushed over with a clipboard, which Jason quickly signed before turning towards her. "You two, of course! I'm putting you two on the cover and giving you a 6-page spread!" Jason beamed.

Lucy's eyes bugged out of her head. This was NOT what she had asked of him over the phone.

"I thought we were just gonna do an interview!" She shrieked. Natsu suddenly reappeared next to Lucy, plate in one hand and a rib in the other.

"What's the problem?" He spoke, not bothering to finish chewing before he spoke. Noting Lucy's troubled demeanor, he placed his food on his plate before grabbing ahold of her elbow and stroking her skin for comfort. Lucy cringed at the feel of his barbeque greased fingers but was thankful for the sweet gesture nonetheless.

"Just an interview? With no pictures? Sounds boring! Not cool at all!" Jason finally replied, ignoring Lucy's gawk and continuing to lead them through the studio.

 _"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God."_ Lucy repeated in her head, mind racing at the endless possibilities of sexy and suggestive poses she was likely to endure. Sure, modeling was fun, but with Natsu present was a whole different story. _"Even worse, what will they do to Natsu?"_

Finally, they approached two clothing racks, presumably one for each of them. They turned to Jason for direction but found him angrily tapping his earpiece.

"No, the green screen is just more work...We already _have_ a beach background!" He argued to whatever poor soul was on the other end of the line. "I want that backdrop for those outfits! Then Lucy in the bikini wouldn't make sense!"

"Lucy in the WHAT?" Lucy screeched.

"I have to go fix some stuff," Jason began as he turned to them, face swept with frustration. "The makeup artists will be by in a second to get you guys ready. We're gonna do the photoshoot first. You guys are gonna be so cool!" Jason yelled enthusiastically, his previous anger seemingly forgotten as he ran away from them. "Absolutely incredible!" he called in the distance.

"Oh my God!" Lucy whined into her hands. This was a _big_ mistake. She should've expected this. After knowing Jason for so long, she should've known he would've had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Calm down, Luce. Is a bikini that different from your everyday clothes?" Natsu said while sucking on a rib bone, earning him a painful smack in the head.

"It's just... This is probably gonna end up making things look worse than they already do!" Lucy whined, looking up to the sky and chanting to herself, _"Why me? Why me? Why me?"_

"Is being seen as my wife really _that_ bad?"

Lucy froze. She was afraid that he would think of her actions this way.

She turned her gaze back towards him, to see his face twisted into a pout. If she wasn't afraid of what was running through his head, she would fawn over how cute he looked.

"Natsu, I have and never will be embarrassed to be seen as close to you," she spoke, moving closer to stand right in front of him. "It just... sends the wrong idea..." She looked down to the floor and brought one hand to hold onto her elbow, hoping her words conveyed her true feelings well enough for him to understand.

"Well, who cares? Let people think what they want. It's only me and you. That's all that matters to me, anyway" Natsu says, putting his plate on the ground and closing the distance between them, wrapping one arm around her waist, and another affectionately rubbing up and down her back, sending butterflies down her spine. She sighed in content and leaned into his embrace. Each stroke gradually eased her tension. He didn't have to do much to make her feel better. His warm touch always turned her into a puddle of goo.

"Also, it's not like your name can be tarnished any more than it already has. You're in Fairy Tail," Natsu added, bringing a smile to Lucy's lips.

Lucy giggled. "You're right." Natsu leaned back to look at her in the face, a wicked grin across his lips.

"Especially after we had that petting zoo and that goat-"

 _"Don't talk about what the goat did!"_ Lucy shrieked, pushing his shoulders back and off of her. Leave it to Natsu to kill a mood. To put it simply, the goat thought her skirt looked tasty and was able to easily tear it off of Lucy's body.

Natsu folded over, leaning on his knees as he cackled. "All of Magnolia was there too! That one mom started scolding Makarov about holding appropriate events!"

"Um, no, the mom did that because you pushed her kid away from the miniature horse and tried to ride on it to trample over Gray."

"He deserved it! He got that llama to spit on me!"

Lucy smiled. Natsu would never change.

"Aren't you two just adorable!" Someone spoke from behind. They both turned to follow the voice, and were greeted with a curvy, ebony-skinned woman, and standing next to her was a tall, pale, skinny blond man. The woman popped her gum. She wore a wide smile as she approached Lucy. "Lucy! I'm Kim. So nice to meetcha'. I gotta take you back to get dressed," she greeted, shaking Lucy's hands before turning to Natsu. "Hey, doll. This is Randall, he's yours," she said, gesturing to the man accompanying her.

Randall's eyes narrowed behind his sleek glasses as he took in Natsu's appearance: fingers covered in barbeque sauce, legs spread apart, awful posture. He clicked his tongue in distaste.

"What are you starin' at?" Natsu sneered, noting the odd look Randall gave him. He ignored this comment before grabbing Natsu by the wrist and tugging him off somewhere, a few other workers following behind with a clothing rack. "What the hell! Where am I going? Lemme' go!" Natsu cried as he was dragged to his inevitable doom, the dressing room.

"Doesn't feel good when someone else does it to you, huh?" Lucy called after him, giggling at his angry expression and the glorious payback. Kim tapped her on the shoulder, a knowing smile on her lips before she popped her gum again.

"It's a shame that you took him for yourself. He's got a nice ass," Kim commented, leaving Lucy flabbergasted and red-faced. (But it's not like she hasn't noticed.) "Let's go, sweetheart. Jason's picked the best lineup for you!"

* * *

To Lucy's dismay, her first outfit was the dreaded white bikini (along with a veil and garter, to make matters worse.) Hopefully, after they clear things up in the interview, they won't use any suggestive photos.

 _"I thought white was supposed to symbolize purity!"_ Lucy cried in her thoughts. She was currently sitting in a director's chair while the crew set up the backdrop in front of her. _"Where is Natsu?"_

Speak of the devil, Natsu plopped down in the fold-out chair next to hers, clad in only black swim trunks, save for a bowtie worn around his neck like a choker, along with his scarf that was tied around his head. Lucy had to bring a hand to her mouth to conceal her snickers.

"Don't start. I feel ridiculous. This is something stripper would wear." Natsu grumbled, chin resting on his fist. "That lanky dude tried to put makeup on me."

"Tried?"

"Let's just say Randall's gonna need to invest in a wig."

"Natsu, oh my God! You could've just said no!" she scolded, slapping the back of her hand to his chest.

" _I did!_ He wouldn't listen! He said something about needing to hide dark spots, whatever those are. Anyway,after I made him look like master Bob, I was able to get away once he dropped down to the ground and started to cry."

"Natsu, you made him _CRY_?"

Natsu blew air out from his puffed cheeks. "Psh, It'll grow back."

"If it makes you feel any better, I think we _both_ look ridiculous," Lucy muttered, playing with one of the strings on her bikini bottoms.

"Is the veil supposed to cover anything?" He reached over and played with the long train of the mesh. When she stood up, it reached down to her mid-back.

"COOL COOL COOL!" A voice rang out, Natsu and Lucy both cringing, painfully aware of who it was. "You guys look great! Let's hurry and get these shots in, we've got another outfit after these for you two to try."

As they were ushered in front of the cameras, Natsu took notice of her garter. He leaned down a bit and hooked a finger inside it, quickly pulling it out and releasing it, laughing at the satisfying smack as it rebounded against Lucy's skin.

"Don't touch that!" Lucy screeched, shoving him playfully as he cackled. She was starting to get used to the feeling of blood rushing to her cheeks.

When they made it in front of the cameras and blinding lights, Lucy felt utterly exposed. The bright lights shined in her eyes, and the blowing fans brought goosebumps over her skin. Her brown eyes uneasily scanned the room, finding almost every other pair of eyes fixated on her and Natsu. Why were they all staring? Wasn't that just the camera man's job? She crossed her arms over her chest, gripping her upper arms and shifting on her feet.

Natsu was easily able to take notice of her discomfort. She screamed nothing but unease. And there was no way he was going to let his girl suffer!

He quickly invaded her personal space, leaning in close to her ear, and the warm air his breaths emanated when they brushed past her ears made her stomach flip.

"We don't have to do this y' know. I can get rid of the backdrop thing easy, the paper looks really easy to burn, or even better, I can take the cameras and-" Natsu rambled quietly before Lucy leaned back and placed a finger to his lips to shush him.

She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted with a camera flash. She angrily whipped her head to glare at the photographer, who shrugged in response. He was just doing his job.

Lucy turned back to face him. "Don't worry about it. I've worn much worse back when I used to model for the magazine before Jason let me write."

Lucy was well aware that sex sells. And having two of Fairy Tail's most popular wizards on the cover, wearing nothing but bathing suits definitely fits the bill.

She smiled inwardly. He always seemed to notice the small things.

In no way did she have a problem with posing with Natsu. Maybe a bit embarrassing, but mainly because they had an audience. She was never uncomfortable around him. He always made her feel safe, and she had never doubted him, even as she was quickly nearing the ground as she fell from a tower. He would always be there to catch her. And his touches...

"Hey, Natsu! Take off Lucy's garter with your teeth!" a voice calls, breaking Lucy out of her inner monologue.

"Lucy's wha'?"

She placed her hands over her face in an attempt to hide the familiar flush on her cheeks. Of course, Natsu didn't know what it was. And thank goodness, because if he had known about the tradition at the party a few nights ago, Mira would no doubt force him to partake in the activity.

"Ooh, ooh, yes! That's perfect!" Jason said from the side, presumably looking for something for Lucy to sit on while Natsu... did his thing. If Happy were here, he'd probably be squealing in amusement, either that or calling out suggestive jokes. She could imagine him standing right next to Jason with a bucket of popcorn.

His eyes zeroed onto the lacy elastic fabric around her thigh, piecing the puzzle together in his head with context clues. A white stool suddenly was slid across the floor to them.

"Do we have to?" Lucy whined, bringing her fingers away from her hands, but still gripping at her face in defeat. From the side, Jason ushered for them to get on with it, an eager smile on his face. She stared down at the floor, brain cogs turning and turning.

"I didn't let you guys put makeup on me, so there's no way you're gettin' away with this." Randall could still be spotted weeping in Natsu's dressing room. "Lucy isn't cool with that, so I ain't doin' it. Pick somethin' else for us to do!" Natsu exploded like a volcano.

"It's okay."

"What?" Natsu asked in disbelief. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying? Natsu was very well educated on consent. The women of the guild taught him when he was 13. While Erza's teaching methods were barbaric, they were definitely effective.

_"Oh my God. What am I doing?"_

"I give you permission," Lucy said, nervously fiddling with the strings on her bikini bottoms. "It's just for the shoot. No big deal..."

_"That's a fat lie, and you know it. You could've said no."_

Ignoring her inner thoughts, she looked to Natsu's wide, confused eyes that spoke without words. He wasn't sure if she _really_ meant it. He didn't know if she was just saying that because she felt obligated to go along with the photographers.

She brought a hand to grip his forearm, stroking it with her thumb. _It's okay,_ the gesture said.

" _You just want to feel his canines on your thigh."_

Unfortunately, that was not a lie. Lucy's mind was telling her one thing while her heart spoke another.

Releasing his arm, she slowly moved to sit on the stool and turned her eyes to shyly peer at him.

If not for her stomach doing flips in her belly, Lucy would've laughed out loud. He was frozen, baffled at the permission he was just given. Sure, he can take down the darkest wizard of all time, but can't take a garter off of a woman.

Lucy slightly lifted up her leg as an invitation as Natsu's emerald green irises seemed to turn into dark slits.

Who was this and what did they do with Lucy? Natsu was _beyond_ bewildered. Nonetheless, she expected this of him and dammit he was going to follow through. Releasing a puff of smoke from the fire constantly lurking deep in his belly, he squatted down and grabbed onto her ankle.

Lucy was sure the camera was flashing as fast as her heartbeat.

As his face neared her thigh, his warm breaths brushing over them, Lucy's entire body was red hot. The camera flashes and exhilarated cries from Jason went ignored. All her focus was on sorely him, as well as the hands that had now slid up to her calf.

Every fiber of her being seemed to be crying out, " _Natsu. Natsu. Natsu."_

She knew damn well why she agreed to the risqué pose. Not because this was just a photoshoot.

But because she _desperately_ wanted his touch. No, she _craved_ it. In fact, she craved it every day, unbeknownst to her until recently.

When his fangs scraped her inner thigh, she almost exploded into a million stars.

The flush on her face had spread down her neck and chest, her skin burning from his touch. His other hand was on the back of her knee, rubbing small circles as he started tugging the lacy elastic down her leg. Lucy's fingers tightly gripped the sides of the stool.

"Natsu~" she quietly slipped out, and suddenly everything inside her felt as if it were being held in a water lock by Juvia, hoping, _pleading_ he hadn't heard it. Which was, unfortunately, a lost cause.

His sharp eyes darted up and stared at her through his lashes, never leaving her gaze as he slowly pulled the garter off of her leg, maneuvering his hold so he was able to slip the elastic off. Before releasing his hold, he used one finger to torturously stroke a long, suggestive line down the back of her leg.

Finally letting go of her leg, he stood up, garter still between his teeth as he flashed her a devilish smile. Lucy deeply exhaled, the exhilaration slowly diminishing in her veins.

Natsu, on the other hand, felt the most animalistic he had ever been. Natsu. Raised by a dragon, Natsu. He wanted nothing more than to jump her right then and there. And when his name slipped out of her lips, he almost did.

He reached a hand to pull it out from his teeth, taking hold of her leg once more and slipping it back on. "For the rest of the pictures," Natsu answered to Lucy's quirked eyebrow. She tried to keep her face under composure, but the rest of her body was being noncompliant, screaming for him to bring his hands back onto her skin.

Natsu was unable to be fooled, he knew what a complete mess she was on the inside, easily being able to pick up her rapid heartbeat. He smirked at this, pleased at her body's reaction to him. The dragon was staring down at the lamb.

 _"That bastard, he knows exactly what he's doing..."_ Lucy grumbled in her mind, feeling unnaturally exposed under his intense gaze.

"Hey, Lucy! Lay down on that beach towel and have Natsu lean over you!" a voice called, snapping Natsu and Lucy's mesmerized eyes away from each other.

This was going to be a long photoshoot.

* * *

After that, the rest of the first part of the photoshoot went well. They were switched to their second outfits, and thank goodness, because these clothes covered much more skin, (even though Lucy didn't normally have a problem with showing skin, after the actions with the garter, she felt ridiculously more exposed) and were able to conceal Natsu's stiff limbs that screamed how painfully inexperienced he was in modeling.

Lucy was now clad in a white flowy sundress, paired with a big, floppy, tan hat. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places but was definitely modest compared to her last outfit. Natsu was forced into a loose dress shirt (which the top three buttons were left unbuttoned, revealing his toned upper chest) and shorts. To Natsu's dismay, they wouldn't let him add his scarf to the ensemble.

Lucy thought he looked absolutely _delicious_. This outfit compared to his normal attire made him look even more attractive to Lucy if that was even possible. While it didn't show off as much of his yummy tan skin and toned chest as his last outfit, Lucy couldn't deny he looked sexy.

As the camera crew worked to set up the new backdrop, Natsu was sat in a makeup chair while Lucy stood behind him and massaged his shoulders.

"You just gotta loosen up a bit, Natsu," Lucy breathes, rubbing deeper into his shoulders, and Natsu groaned in satisfaction.

"It's hard, moving my arms and legs and shit into weird positions. I dunno what the heck they want me to do," he grumbles, trying his best to focus on the dainty hands working wonders for what she could reach of his upper back.

"It's just you and me," she repeats, what he said from earlier. "Pretend that we're at home. In the guild, or my apartment or something. Or, just think of posing as battle stances," she says, hoping an analogy would make way through his thick skull.

Natsu nodded. "I'll try," he said before letting out a deep sigh. "Damn, that feels so good," he breathes as she continues her ministrations. She was rubbing her hands over the tops of his shoulders, secretly wishing there wasn't a barrier between her fingers and his tan skin. "You should do this more often."

Lucy blushed at his implication but certainly wasn't opposed to the idea. She imagined him lying face down, her sitting on top of him while rubbing into his tan, muscly back, him making the same groaning sounds he was now. They would be all alone, the candles from her bathroom illuminating the room. Her hands would run lower and lower until they dipped below-

"Luce?"

Snapping out of her fantasy, she realized her hands had drifted off his shoulders and down his chest, pressing into his pecs and occasionally tracing the lines of his upper abs. Quickly removing her hands with a squeak, Natsu grabbed one and kissed the palm, turning her face into more of a scarlet mess than it already was. Her mind snapped back to his actions from earlier, the coil deep in her belly tightening.

"It's okay, I really don't mind," he said, releasing her hand and twisting around a bit to face her. "When we get home, I want a longer massage," he purred, staring deeply into her chocolate eyes with a smirk, turning her insides to goo.

He had no idea how easily he could make her feel that way. Or maybe he did and just did a really good job at hiding it. Certainly, after earlier, she was more aware that there may be more to Natsu than what meets the eye.

He wasn't dumb, nor oblivious to women in the slightest. Sometimes Lucy forgot that. Even though he was her overly childish, and goofy best friend, he was still a man.

The makeup artist seemed to come out of nowhere, popping their personal bubble and began dusting Natsu's face with a makeup brush. The passion in his eyes instantly disappeared as he jumped out of his chair in rage and ripped the small brush out of the artist's hand.

"Hell no! You can dress me up and make me pose, but this is where I draw the _line_!"

Lucy pressed her hands into her face, trying to erase her earlier fantasy, and Natsu's previous actions did nothing but aid her dirty thoughts.

Even as he argued with the poor makeup artist, growling profanities and snapping the brushes in half, she couldn't take her mind off of the affection that she harbored deep in her heart for him. Crazy and all.

"Natsu and Lucy to set!" a cameraman yelled. Natsu had successfully stomped on (and burned what he could) all of the makeup supplies, wiping the fire licking at his lips. He turned to Lucy with a smile, as if he hadn't gone all E.N.D on the makeup, and offered his hand. His eyes shone with reassurance, knowing about her nerves with this whole surprise photoshoot and the interview. Little did he know that most of her current inner turmoil wasn't due to their current predicament, but him.

Despite all of this, Lucy accepted his hand, instant butterflies as his fingers laced with hers. Every time they touched always felt like the first time. She was sure she would never get rid of the sparks that she felt deep within her every time they made physical contact. Especially after earlier, her sensors were in overdrive.

Oh, the things he did to her.

When they approached the new set, the backdrop had been changed to a green screen. Lucy hoped they wouldn't photoshop them into a provocative environment, something Sorcerer Weekly was infamous for.

"Alright you guys, just do whatever you feel is comfortable. We want the true Natsu and Lucy essence!" Jason called to them from behind the camera. Lucy looked to Natsu, and despite the pep talk she had given beforehand, he still stood as stiff as a board.

Her hands played with the hem of her dress. She knew that she needed to take the lead. She had done many embarrassing bikini shoots before, hell, and earlier had him pulling a garter from her thigh, so why was the thought of doing the same thing, but in more fabric, and with her best friend (and newfound crush) much harder?

Lucy's eyes darted to the stool from earlier, and quickly scampered to grab it and bring it back, and grabbed Natsu's shoulders and pushed him to sit in it.

A bead of sweat slid down his temple as he asked, "You're not gonna take one of those garter things offa' me, are you?" Because if she had something like that in mind, he might just lose his sanity.

She chuckled, "No. Just go along with it." Before she lost her courage, she leaned down to his level (praying that not too much of her cleavage is put on display for the camera), laying and crossing her arms over his chest from behind, pulling her closer to him in a hug. She sends a bright smile to the camera, which immediately flashes. The camera crew sent loud cheers of approval.

"Natsu, give us a better smile this time!" was their only critique. He complied while hoping that the blush on his face would be edited out. But it wasn't hard for him to give a genuine smile while Lucy was so close to him. While he certainly wasn't opposed to sensual touches, (if those were even a possibility for the future) the sweet, cuddly ones were his favorite. They came the most frequently and most matched their essence.

After a few of these shots, a switch in Natsu's brain flipped at a realization.

He basically has a free pass to touch Lucy however he wants. (Within reason, but still.)

And she couldn't get mad.

He immediately stood up, tossing the stool off to the side before quickly sweeping Lucy off her feet and into his arms. One arm wrapped under her thighs, and another around supporting her back.

Commonly known as, " _bridal style_."

Lucy let out a small "eep" and wrapped an arm around his neck for support. He flashed a brilliant smile to the camera, nuzzling the side of his head into hers.

Jason was unable to contain his excitement (but to be fair, when did he ever?) and cheered his infamous, "cool cool!"

Lucy giggled. "Natsu, your hair tickles," she said, moving her head a bit away from his to get the pink locks that went astray out of her cheeks. He had her lifted up a bit higher, and their faces were level. He turned to her face with a grin, ignoring the camera flashes, and began to pepper kisses over her cheeks.

 _"Natsu!"_ Lucy couldn't contain her cry at the sudden affection, leaning back as far as she could with his hand on her back to look at him in bewilderment. Sure, she occasionally gave him kisses on the cheek in gratitude, but he had never returned the favor. The grin on his face hadn't faltered, even after she had pushed him away.

"It's just for the shoot. No big deal, right?" Natsu repeated her words from earlier, satisfied when Lucy's face read her astonishment on how he had gotten her to fall into her own trap.

"Yeah, okay, just keep your hand high enough on the skirt of my dress, I don't want to flash anything," Lucy said, giggling when he nuzzled his nose into her neck with a nod.

But it wasn't, "no big deal." Natsu was a man of action, and with her newfound realization of her attraction towards him, she read into his every action, trying to find any sign of requited feelings. But now, she couldn't tell which ones were posed and which were real.

Little did she know, every touch conveyed everything feeling Natsu had for her, all the love stored inside him that he desperately wished to be able to release.

They were both falling deep for each other. Deep, fast, and _hard_.


	10. CHAPTER 10 SNEAK PEEK!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. I'll explain more in-depth of my absence in the A/N.
> 
> THIS IS JUST A SNEAK PEEK FOR CHAPTER 10. NOT THE WHOLE THING!
> 
> I feel so bad for the length of time it has taken me to publish a new chapter, and I couldn't go another day without giving you guys something. So, a sneak peek it is!
> 
> WARNING: SEXUAL JOKES.

"These are gonna look _so_ good! Sooo cool!" Jason bursts, flipping through the raw photos on the camera lacrima as Natsu and Lucy get redressed.

"We get ta' leave now, right?" Natsu asks loudly towards Lucy's dressing room, readjusting his scarf around his neck as he walked out from behind a curtain. (Lucy insisted on dressing with the comfort of four walls)

"No, you dolt. We still have to do the interview. The thing we _actually_ came here for," she responded as she walked out from her dressing room, thumping Natsu on the back of the head. Natsu responded by maturely sticking out his tongue at her.

"Yes, your interviews!" Jason said, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "We'll do one with you two together, one with just Natsu, and one with just Lucy."

Lucy gripped her skirt. Who knows what Natsu would accidentally reveal without her there to guide him. Sorcerer Weekly definitely didn't need to know that Natsu frequently slept over. Not to mention, Natsu had no shame in telling people about Lucy's personal business. Once, at the guild, he had shouted across the guild at Lucy and asked, "Hey, Lucy! Is your constipation business over with or not?"

"So, whaddya' wanna know?" Natsu asked before obnoxiously sipping loudly on his drink that he had swiped from the buffet.

"Oh, not here! We've got a _special_ interview room for this. Follow me!" Jason waved a hand back to the door that opened to the hallway they came from earlier, motioning for them to follow.

They followed Jason to the interview room, but not before making a quick pit stop for towels when Natsu spilled his drink all over the floor.

The interview room was... Unsightly. Lucy had been expecting a fun room with snacks and comfortable seating. After all, It was Sorcerer Weekly's headquarters!

It was small and devoid of color. No decoration, save for a small table with three chairs. Not even a potted plant, for goodness sake!

"Geesh, are we being interviewed or interrogated?" Natsu sweatdropped.

"Why is it so cold?" Lucy said with a shiver, wrapping her arms around herself.

"The cold increases your anxiety. Helps get the truth out. But that shouldn't bother you, Natsu," Jason replied.

Natsu grinned and produced a flame in his hand. "Not at all!" As expected, Jason went bat-shit crazy.

As they sat in the chilling metal chairs, Jason pulled out his infamous notepad, likely filled with many questions that could hopefully reinstate Lucy's reputation.

"First question, the obvious. Are you two _actually_ married?"

Lucy sighed. "Yes, but-"

" _COOL COOL COOL!"_ Jason cheered, immediately out of his chair and comically rolling on the floor, stars in his eyes, leaving Natsu and Lucy to wince at his outburst.

"It was an accident," Natsu spoke up. Jason sat back down.

"Huh? An accident? How?"

For seemingly the 100th time since Natsu and Lucy were thrown into this mess, they explained their situation. Surprisingly, Jason was into it.

"Oh, what a twist! That makes it even c-"

"Don't say it."

**KNOCK KNOCK**

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Come in!"

Surprisingly, Kim, Lucy's makeup artist, bust through the door.

"Jason, who on earth told you that you could interview them?" She huffed with a scowl. Jason's eyes went wide as he began to plead for forgiveness.

"Listen, boss, I always cover Fairy Tail stuff! I wanted to interview Natsu and Lucy so bad, and you _always_ get the cool stories!" Jason cried on his knees.

"Because I don't scare our clients like you!" Kim shot back at Jason, staring down at him with her hands on her hips. A confident, dominating pose.

"Kim?" Lucy spoke up, "You're Jason's boss? I thought you were just the makeup artist." Kim turned to face Lucy, the bracelets adorned on her wrist jingling as she moved. The sound was oddly comforting in that dreadful room.

"No, doll. My official title is a Journalist, but the other makeup artists make our clients look like clowns." She took a breath, shaking out her frustration held against Jason, and then looked to the pair with a wide smile. "I'll be interviewing you today, Lucy."

"Uh, the guy who dressed me up isn't also a secret Journalist? Right?" Natsu faltered, worried that he would have to be interviewed by a newly bald and likely very upset journalist.

Kim chuckled. "Lucky for you, no." She paused to scan the room before a look of distaste crossed her features. "Don't worry, Lucy, I'll be taking you to a different room for your interview."

' _Thank goodness.'_

"Kim, if you're interviewing Lucy, can I _please_ interro-interview Natsu myself?" Jason begged, grabbing a tissue from his pocket to shine the tip of Kim's shoe to help plead his case.

His boss stared at him for a moment. She then rolled her eyes. "Fine. But you're using my questions," she decided, bringing out her communication-lacrima and tapping a few buttons. "There. Just sent them to you. Lucy, dear, let's go have a fun girl chat!"

"Actually, I think I need to use the bathroom first. Natsu also said he had to go. _Right, Natsu_?" Lucy spoke as she turned to Natsu with a look Natsu had seen one too many times. It was the "go-along-with-what-I-say-or-else," look.

He gulped and then nodded.

Lucy smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes. She conveyed a look of uttermost purity; as if she didn't have a secret plan behind her eyes. "Where are your bathrooms?"

"There's a gender-neutral bathroom down the hall and to your right. I'll be waiting in here with Jason." Kim cleared her throat before leaning close to Lucy and reaching into her purse. "You need a rubber?" she asked in a low tone, a smirk across her red-painted lips, holding up a _condom_ between two fingers, trying to (but not actually) be as discreet as possible.

"That will not be necessary!" Lucy screeched, feeling heat spread across her face and to the roots of her hair.

Kim made an 'o' with her lips. "I gotcha'." However, Natsu reached over Lucy's shoulder and swiped the small square from between Kim's fingers.

"Thank you! I saw some of these in our hotel drawers, but Lucy wouldn't let me try one out," Natsu spoke, eyes sparkling as if he were staring at a buffet.

Lucy could do nothing but stare straight ahead, completely dumbfounded, eyes wide, and her mouth open, gaping like a fish. Kim laughed.

"Oh my! Well, don't be too long!" she winked, leaning against the table and pulling out her communication-lacrima. "I'll be waiting!"

Lucy grumbled under her breath, grabbed Natsu's wrist, and swiftly pulled him out of the room and into the hall. Once she shut the door, she stomped her foot onto Natsu's toes, making him jump into the air as if someone had poured cold water down his back, lifting his leg and clutching his foot.

" _Natsu, what the hell!_ " she seethed, crossing her arms as she watched him hop up and down in pain.

"'Natsu, what the hell?' Um, more like 'Lucy, what the hell!'" Natsu mocked, slipping off his sandal to grasp his poor toes. Thankfully, Lucy hadn't chosen to wear heels today.

"Why did you take... _that..._ from Kim?" Lucy's voice wavered as her stomach did somersaults.

Natsu knew _all_ about the birds and the bees. He wasn't that stupid. Growing up in Fairy Tail, it was inevitable that he overheard sexual talk. (Macao and Wakaba in particular; they were into some weird stuff.) He had to know what a condom was. Right?

Or did he actually mean what he said? Did he _really_ want to "try it out _"_ with her? Yes, she liked him, but would she be ready for that if the time ever came?

_'Would I say no?'_

Lucy pinched her thigh to rid herself of the thought.

"Why are you so mad? I just wanted a piece of candy! You wouldn't let me have any of the ones from the hotel!"

"Oh, my God. Natsu..." Lucy grumbled, pulling Natsu down the hall, who protested due to his angry toes, fumbling as he tried hopping on one foot to keep up with her. She tugged Natsu into the bathroom with her and locked the door.

The room was small and simple, just a bathroom. It smelled nice, though. It was nothing like the Fairy Tail Men's bathroom, which was absolutely trashed.

Natsu assumed that Lucy had gone off her rocker. She ripped Kim's 'gift' from Natsu's hand. "Lucy, are you on your period?"

Lucy looked at him with death in her eyes.

"Yeesh, sorry."

She held up the small square packaging between her fingers and held it in front of his face. "Natsu. This is a _condom_ , not candy!" she whisper-yelled.

Natsu blinked at her. "But don't hotels put little candies in your room?"

"Yes, but this is definitely not candy..."

He was quiet for a moment, observing what Lucy held between her fingers before eyes widening when he realized that it was, in fact, a condom. Then, a smile slowly crept onto his face.

" _Pfft_!" Natsu passed between his lips before exploding in a fit of laughter.

He was laughing. _Laughing._

"Oops," he said between chuckles, not even a hint of embarrassment etched on his face. "So she thinks we're in here doing it?"

Lucy buried her face in her hands. "Unfortunately."

Two warm hands grasped hers and brought them away from her face. Natsu gave her a bright smile, canines gleaming. "What did you drag me in here to talk about?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lucy said. Natsu's stunt had made her forget what she brought him away to tell him. "Jason is going to interview you _alone_. He is probably going to ask-"

 _"Oh, Lucy!"_ Natsu moaned, the kind, genuine smile that was once on his face replaced with a look of mischief. He'd been bored ever since he had done all that posing, (Natsu had a _very_ small attention span) and couldn't help but want to pull a tiny prank.

Lucy gasped, furrowing her eyebrows as she clamped her hand over his mouth. _"You are infuriating!"_

Natsu pulled her hand away from his mouth, keeping a grip on her wrist. "Wow, Lucy, kinky," he joked.

She ripped it away. "They probably heard that!"

"Um, duh, that was the point."

"That wasn't even the slightest bit funny, you know."

"Psh, yes it was."

"You're incorrigible."

"I have no idea what that word means."

Lucy rubbed her temples. "Are you done?"

"No promises." Natsu grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Really, he couldn't take anything seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I have an excuse for not publishing a new chapter since September? Not really.
> 
> I'm a very dedicated student, and most nights after a long day of hard work all I want to do is relax. So, all of my writing motivation went out the window. I've been reading some great books, too. (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES SERIES)
> 
> I have no idea why, but starting this chapter was so unappealing. But, I have to push past it to get to the stuff I'm excited about :)
> 
> I don't want to rush and put out anything that isn't my best. So, I've been working on this for a little bit and I couldn't bear not giving it to you guys. I probably shouldn't be uploading this, but I am anyway. So ha. My future self will regret this in the morning.
> 
> My 2021 resolution is to finish AMD. It warms my heart how much you all are enjoying this story, and I don't want to let you guys down.
> 
> Hopefully this small bit of humor can make up for my hiatus. Thank you guys. So much. I promise I'm going to do better. Lots of stuff to come.
> 
> No promises to when the whole thing will be released. I obviously can't keep them. I'm working on it, though. Hopefully before the end of the month.
> 
> Stay safe, and Happy New Year!
> 
> Thank you all. So much. :)
> 
> Until next time!


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